A new operation can cure a common abnormality that causes irregular heartbeats. The combination of microwaves and super-cooled gas kills rogue tissue around the heart that can trigger severe palpitations and may even lead to a stroke.

The condition is called atrial fibrillation, and affects one in a 100 people.

Standard surgical techniques have a 40% failure rate. But the new procedure, pioneered at the London Bridge Hospital, has so far proved a complete success.

Cardiologist Dr Richard Schilling told Sky News: “Our initial work using this technique has shown that none of the patients out of the nine we have done so far has had any symptoms at all.

“There seems to be a stunning difference in the first-time success.”

The heart should beat in response to electrical signals that flow across the muscle once every second or so.

Atrial fibrillation is triggered when abnormal tissue in the veins near the heart fire off competing signals, causing rapid, chaotic contractions. The irregular rhythm reduces the amount of blood the heart can pump.

The new procedure first uses the standard technique of microwaves to burn cells, building a barrier of scar tissue that stops the abnormal signals reaching the heart.

Sky News.