How much does electrical cardioversion cost privately in the UK? (2026)

A private electrical cardioversion uses a controlled shock under brief sedation or anaesthetic to restore normal rhythm in atrial fibrillation or flutter, after anticoagulation has been arranged.

Several UK hospital groups publish guide prices on their websites. In the listings we retrieved, electrical cardioversion ran from £1,920, depending on the hospital, the variant listed and what that provider counts in its price. The table shows each entry as published.

Because each provider defines its package differently, the cheapest figure in a list is not automatically the best value. Compare what each includes before you compare totals.

You fast beforehand, are given sedation or a brief anaesthetic and monitored while pads on the chest deliver a timed shock. You wake within minutes, and the rhythm is checked on an ECG.

It is important to continue anticoagulants as directed afterwards, usually for at least several weeks. Ask what follow-up appointments are included in the quote.

People with atrial fibrillation lasting more than a short time need blood-thinning treatment for several weeks before cardioversion, or a scan to exclude a clot, because restoring rhythm can dislodge clots and cause stroke. Blood thinners then continue for at least some weeks afterwards.

Rhythm control may need to be repeated or supported with medicines, and ablation is an alternative for people whose AF keeps returning. A cardiologist can explain which option suits you.

The headline figure hides several moving parts. In the case of electrical cardioversion, the following tend to decide where a quote lands.

• Sedation versus general anaesthetic: an anaesthetist is needed and affects the fee.

• Pre-procedure preparation: weeks of anticoagulation or a transoesophageal echo to exclude clots before the shock.

• Provider: Duchy lists cardioversion at a defined price among its cardiology items.

• Repeat procedures: recurrence of AF may mean repeat cardioversion or ablation.

• Consultant and monitoring fees.

A fixed price is only as useful as its small print. Here is how the common items tend to divide between included and extra.

Insurers usually cover cardioversion on cardiologist request, including any pre-procedure echo, subject to authorisation.

Insured patients should confirm the benefit limit, the excess and whether the consultant is on the insurer list. Self-funders can compare a fixed package price against an itemised estimate, and ask whether credit is available.

NHS cardioversion is available through cardiology, with planned lists and urgent options in unstable cases.

If you are weighing private against NHS care, remember that NHS referral gives you a right to choose a provider in England and an 18-week standard for non-urgent treatment. Check current waits in your area before deciding.

You rest for some hours, may have mild skin soreness from the pads, and are advised not to drive until you are fully recovered from sedation.

Ask your provider to explain, in writing if possible, what is covered if the course of care changes.

• Cardioversion may not hold, and AF can return, so you may need repeat procedures or medication changes, adding cost.

• Stroke risk is managed with anticoagulants beforehand, and any sudden weakness, speech or vision changes need 999.

Ask each provider for an itemised written estimate, then put them side by side. These questions are specific to this procedure.

• Does the price include sedation and the anaesthetist?

• Is a pre-procedure echo included?

• What follow-up is included?

• What options exist if AF returns?

• Is the consultant fee, anaesthetist fee and hospital fee shown separately, and are any of them estimated rather than fixed?