Pacemaker Club: A-V Node ablation

A-V Node ablation

by Dave H
2015-07-07 02:07:16
General Posting
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2 comments

RE: A-V Node ablations ----- Is the heart able to "undo" an ablation and "heal" itself?"

BTW: From my favorite story in the Dec 2014 Men's Journal entitled "Heal Thyself" by Charles Siebert: "I read once that the heart has a sort of brain too Or at least a deep muscle memory. Transplant recipients, it is said, regularly adopt the personality traits of their donors. My cardiologist thought it quaint."

--Dave--

2 Comments

Hey Sparrow:

by Dave H - 2015-07-07 06:07:40

The article "Heal Thyself" was very interesting: The author, Charles Siebert, became afflicted with the same issue his father had: heart failure. He decided to fight back. All docs stated he could only save what heart functions remained. Siebert's plan? In his own words: "Each day, I'd go out, walk, and not die: A fairly clear-cut regimen that definitely had a way of building on itself." Result? Altho the time frame was not stated (story line suggested a 3-year period) Siebert raised his LV EF from 20% to 45-50%.

Ablations do not always work.....

by PJinSC - 2015-07-09 01:07:35

.....Sometimes they don't work at all. Your heart can try to repair itself.

After my A-fib turned into A-flutter, running 140 bpm constantly with stoppages and PVCs and no meds were making it slow down, even after cardioversions, I was told I needed an ablation procedure to reroute the faulty electrical signals and that it had an 85% success rate. Well, a year later, back in A-fib/flutter, I fired that EP and went to another. After about a year, and three more cardioversions he started telling me I needed another ablation and that if it didn't work, would need AV node ablation (heart block) following installation of a pacemaker. He said the electrical signals were running figure-eights around the first ablation scars. It didn't work, so I now have a CRT-P three lead and continuous A-fib in the atria and pacing the ventricles together at 70 bpm, with rate response turned on. I have my 6 month checkup this month and I am going to talk to them about the PVCs I am feeling and whether the rate response is correct.