A 61-YEAR-old woman with an irregular heartbeat has been told she cannot have an operation to correct the condition - because she is too old. Dorothy Simpson, of Leake, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation three years ago. The condition can cause strokes, palpitations, heart failure, shortness of breath, blackouts, chest pains and sudden death. It can often be corrected by an operation known as a catheter ablation, where the area of cells in the heart responsible for triggering the abnormal rhythm is destroyed. http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/disp...