Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Your ablation day, from arrival to going home | CION Cancer Clinics
On the day of ablation you arrive having fasted, have a few checks, and are given sedation or a general anaesthetic. A doctor guides a thin needle into the tumour using ultrasound or CT and destroys it with heat, cold or electrical pulses. You are watched on the ward afterwards, and many people go home that evening or the next morning. This page walks through each step. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What happens on the day of an ablation?
- What should you bring and arrange?
- What happens from arrival to going home?
- Why does the day differ from one organ to another?
- What do the words used on the day mean?
- What do people worry about that is not true?
- What should the family member know?
- Common questions about the day of ablation
The short answer
What happens on the day of an ablation?
You arrive having fasted, have a few checks, and are given sedation or a general anaesthetic. A doctor then guides a thin needle through the skin into the tumour using ultrasound or CT pictures, and destroys the tumour with heat, cold or electrical pulses. Many people go home the same evening or the next morning.
Who does the procedure
Ablation through the skin is usually done by an interventional radiologist, a doctor who uses scans to guide needles inside the body, sometimes working with a surgeon. It may take place in a CT or ultrasound room rather than a main operating theatre. When ablation is combined with an operation, it happens in theatre.
Why the day feels long
The needle part is often shorter than people expect. The day is long because of preparation, the anaesthetic, and time watched on the ward afterwards. Plan for a full day, and bring someone who can stay.
What this page cannot tell you
Every centre runs its day a little differently, and your plan depends on the organ being treated. Follow the written instructions your own team gives you over anything general you read here.
Before you leave home
What should you bring and arrange?
- Every scan on disc or pen drive, with the written reports
- Your biopsy report and recent blood test results
- A written list of every medicine, including blood thinners
- Your Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS or EHS card, or insurance papers
- Loose, comfortable clothes and a phone charger
- An adult who can stay all day and take you home
- What you would need for one night, just in case
- A notebook for questions and the discharge advice
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistHour by hour
What happens from arrival to going home?
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Arrival and checks
You are asked when you last ate and drank, and what medicines you took. A nurse checks your blood pressure, pulse and sugar, and places a cannula, a thin plastic tube, in a vein in your hand or arm.
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Consent
The doctor explains the procedure again, the risks for your organ, and what happens if they cannot finish. Ask anything you are unsure about before you sign. A family member can be there.
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Anaesthesia
You are given sedation, which makes you drowsy and relaxed, or a general anaesthetic, which puts you fully to sleep. The skin over the tumour is also numbed.
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Placing the needle
You lie on the scanner table. Using CT or ultrasound pictures, the doctor guides one or more needles through a tiny nick in the skin into the tumour, checking the position several times.
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Treating the tumour
The machine sends energy down the needle to destroy the tumour and a rim of tissue around it. Many teams also treat the needle path on the way out, to lower the risk of bleeding.
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A check scan
A scan straight afterwards looks at the treated area and checks for bleeding, or for air where it should not be after lung ablation.
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Recovery on the ward
Nurses check your pulse, blood pressure, the puncture site and your pain while the anaesthetic wears off. You can usually drink, then eat, once fully awake.
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Going home or staying overnight
You leave once you are comfortable, eating and walking, and your checks are settled. Do not drive, and have someone stay with you that night.
It depends where
Why does the day differ from one organ to another?
The steps are much the same, but the details change with where the tumour is.
Liver
Usually guided by ultrasound or CT. A general anaesthetic is common, because the liver moves with breathing and needs to stay still. An ache in the upper belly or the tip of the right shoulder afterwards is common.
Kidney
You may lie on your front or side on the table. Your urine can look pink for a short while. Tell the nurse if it turns dark red or has clots in it.
Lung
Done under CT. A check X-ray looks for a collapsed lung, which can happen when air leaks around the needle. If it does, a small drain may be needed and you stay longer.
Tell the nurse at once about
- Sudden breathlessness
- Sharp chest pain on breathing
Bone
The aim is usually pain relief. Lying on the table can be hard with a painful spine or hip, so tell the team early and extra pain relief can be given before you are moved.
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Words you may hear
What do the words used on the day mean?
- Sedation
- Medicines that make you drowsy and calm while you breathe on your own. You may remember little afterwards.
- General anaesthetic
- Medicines that put you fully to sleep, with your breathing supported by a machine.
- Probe or applicator
- The thin needle that carries energy into the tumour.
- Grounding pads
- Sticky pads placed on your thighs during radiofrequency ablation, so the current can complete its circuit safely.
- Nil by mouth
- Nothing to eat or drink before the anaesthetic, for the time your team tells you.
Commonly believed
What do people worry about that is not true?
"I will be awake and feel the burning."
Either you are asleep, or you are sedated and the area is numbed. Some people under sedation feel pressure or a warm ache. They can tell the team, who give more pain relief. The heat is not felt the way a burn on the skin is.
"The needle leaves a big wound."
The puncture is usually a few millimetres wide and closed with a small dressing, not a row of stitches. Most people have only a small mark once it heals.
"If I eat a little in the morning, it will not matter."
Food in the stomach can be dangerous under anaesthetic, and the procedure may be cancelled on the day. Follow the fasting instructions exactly, and ask specifically if you have diabetes.
"I should stop my blood thinner myself before coming."
Never stop, start or change a medicine on your own. Blood thinners such as aspirin, clopidogrel or warfarin do raise the risk of bleeding, so your team will tell you exactly what to do with each one and when.
For the person waiting
What should the family member know?
If you are the son, daughter or partner who has come along, most of your day is spent waiting. That is normal, and a long wait does not mean something has gone wrong.
Where you will be
Usually in a waiting area outside the procedure room or on the ward. Keep your phone charged and switched on, and tell the nurse where you will be if you step out to eat.
How you can help
Hold the medicine list and reports. Listen to the discharge advice with the patient, because someone still drowsy will forget much of it. Write down the pain medicines prescribed, the number to call, and when the follow-up scan is due.
The night after
Stay with them overnight. Call the team or go to the nearest emergency department if they become breathless, faint, have bleeding that soaks the dressing, or develop a fever that keeps climbing with shivering.
A mild fever and aches in the few days afterwards are common. The pages on post-ablation syndrome and on recovery explain what is and is not expected.Questions we are asked
Common questions about the day of ablation
How long does the ablation itself take?
Placing the needle and treating the tumour often takes less time than people expect, but the whole day is much longer. Preparation, the anaesthetic and watching you recover all add hours. Your team can give you an idea of the likely length for your organ and the number of tumours being treated.
Can I go home the same day?
Many people do, once they are awake, eating, walking and comfortable. Others stay one night, especially after lung or kidney ablation, a general anaesthetic, or when several tumours were treated. Plan for the possibility of an overnight stay, particularly if you live far from the hospital.
When do I have to stop eating and drinking?
Your centre will tell you in writing. Fasting times depend on the anaesthetic plan and the time of your procedure, and sips of water may be allowed for longer than food. If you have diabetes, ask specifically about your tablets or insulin, because the plan for those is different.
Should I take my regular medicines that morning?
Some medicines are taken with a sip of water and others are held. Blood thinners, diabetes medicines and some blood pressure tablets need specific instructions. Never decide on your own. Ask the team at the visit before the procedure, and bring the full list on the day.
Will there be a scar?
Usually only a small mark where the needle went in, which fades over time. There are no large stitches. If the ablation is done during an open or keyhole operation instead, any scar comes from that operation rather than from the ablation itself.
Can a family member come in with me?
Usually they can stay with you until you go to the procedure room, and join you again on the ward. They cannot come in during the procedure, because of the scanner and the need to keep the area clean. Ask the ward about visiting rules before the day.
What if they cannot reach the tumour on the day?
Occasionally a tumour is harder to see or reach than expected, or a nearby structure makes it unsafe. The doctor may stop and discuss other options with you afterwards. This is part of consent, so ask before the procedure what the plan would be if it happens.
When will I know if it worked?
Not on the day. The check scan straight afterwards shows the treated area, but the real answer comes from a follow-up scan some weeks later, once swelling has settled. Your team will book that scan and explain the result to you in person.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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Sources
- American Cancer Society — Tumor ablation for liver cancer
- NHS — General anaesthesia
- NHS — Liver cancer: treatment
- Cancer Research UK — Liver cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Pain and recovery after ablationWhat the days after the procedure feel likePost-ablation syndromeThe flu-like spell many people get afterwardsAnaesthesia for cancer surgerySedation and general anaesthesia explainedThe day of the operationIf your ablation is done during surgeryAblation: RFA, microwave, cryo and IREEvery page in this guide
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