Results. After AV node ablation, your symptoms and quality of life will likely improve. You will need a permanent pacemaker to control your heart rate, and may need to take blood thinners to reduce your risk of a stroke.

Does ablation weaken the heart?

“Because ablations irritate and inflame the heart a little, many patients experience short runs of arrhythmia in the weeks afterward,” Dr. Arkles says. In other words, the weeks after an ablation shouldn't be used to determine whether the procedure was a success – though more often than not, it is.

Can you have an ablation with a pacemaker?

Patients who undergo an AV node ablation are also implanted with a pacemaker to help maintain a normal heart rate.