Your AFib treatment may include treatments like: Tests at Our Electrophysiology Lab Our electrophysiology lab provides cardiologists and other heart specialists with precise information about heart rhythm problems through various minimally invasive treatments and tests, such as cardiac ablation procedures, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and pacemakers. Hybrid Ablation Our first step to treating AFib is usually with medication, like beta-blockers or antiarrhythmic drugs. But when medicines aren’t effective, the next step is catheter-based ablation, delivering radiofrequency energy into the heart to destroy tissue that’s triggering irregular rhythms. Hybrid ablation involves two procedures separated by six to 12 weeks: Thoracoscopic maze: First, a cardiothoracic surgeon performs ablation on the outside of the heart with a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a thoracoscopic maze, which is achieved through keyhole incisions made between the ribs on both sides. Catheter ablation: Then, about 12 weeks later, an electrophysiologist performs catheter ablation inside the heart, which has a 60 to 80% success rate in patients without heart abnormalities who have had AFib for less than two years.