Question about ablation

A new wrinkle. My doctor says i may need an ablation to correct my "weird thing" my heart does. Does anyone know anything about having ablation after you have had a pacemaker implanted? What dangers, how do they do it what is the out come, what to expect. .. please help.

6 Comments

Just had that discussion

by Theknotguy - 2014-11-09 08:11:02

Just had that discussion with my EP. While I haven't had an ablation yet, I did get into the discussion.

The first discussion with my EP was about the episodes of afib and my quality of life. His take on it is, if I'm still able to carry on a normal life - no need for an ablation. However if I'm unable to carry on a good quality of life due to afib, then it would be time for an ablation. At the moment, my call.

My EP didn't seem concerned about the PM. Seemed to indicate it would be an asset instead of a liability. i.e. he wouldn't have to worry about a sudden heart stoppage. And since the ablation procedure goes on with a different part of the heart, we don't have to worry about leads, etc.

Statistics: 75 - 85% of ablations go OK. The remainder have to have a second go at the ablation. Within 5 years two out of 5 people who have ablations will need another ablation session. After 5 years another two of the original five will need another ablation session. Statistics after five years are not available because ablation procedures have changed. Cyro (freezing) ablation seems to do better than heat ablations. But cyro is so new they don't have good statistics on that. Most doctors do a combination of heat/cyro ablations.

Because of the reductions in afib due to (APP) Atrial Preference Pacing on my PM and the not-good statistics for ablation I'm pushing off ablation for a while. They keep discovering new heart things every day so I'm willing to wait.

My question for you is, what is the "weird thing"? Is it life threatening? Will ablation remove the problem? What are the statistics for removal of the "weird thing"? What are the statistics for the long term? What can you expect one, five, and ten years out? What can you expect if you don't have an ablation for the "weird thing"? I'd want to get the above questions answered before I'd jump on the table. Maybe there are no good answers but I'd want to know that first.

Sometimes we don't get good answers with heart disease. My EP indicated my afib sessions were random and a result of my grandparents swimming in the wrong gene pool. At the moment there aren't too many options for controlling afib so having APP work for me is a real godsend.

Hope they can get you some good news.

Arrhythmia?

by golden_snitch - 2014-11-10 02:11:26

Hi!

What kind of arrhythmia do you have? Theknotguy already explained about Afib ablations. There are other atrial tachycardias that can be ablated, and for them the statistics are much better. For instance, for an AV-nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) the success rate is higher than 95%, in most cases it's healed after just one ablation procedure.

Ablations when you have a pacemaker are not problem at all. I have had five ablations since I had my pacemaker put in - no issues, nothing different from the ablations I had before the pacemaker was implanted.

An ablation is a special type of heart catheterization. The catheters go in via veins in your groins. Once the catheters are in the heart, the EP does a kind of electrical map of your heart. He tries to induce your arrhythmia, then maps exactly where it's coming from, and then ablates the spot. The area in your groins, where the catheters go into the vein, is being numbed, so that you do not feel anything. Also, you can usually ask for a sedation during the procedure, or at least some medication that calms you down. Ablations can take from 30 minutes to several hours. It depends a bit on what type of arrhythmia you have. Afib ablations take a little longer, because not only one spot has to be ablated, but four pulmonary veins needs to electrically isolated through catheter ablation.

Inga

Ablation

by Daisyinthesun - 2014-11-10 03:11:07

Not to scare you but make sure you have a top notch doctor for an ablation.

20 years ago, I had an ablation that was botched by a doctor whom took me into surgery right after just doing another patient.

A excellent doctor will be confident, reassuring and smart about how he schedules his patients (not back to back).

I was young then and didn't know any better...let them wheel me in. Ended up with a complete heart block and well, survived 20 years before having to get my pacemaker. I guess I was lucky in hindsight.

Feel much better today due to this amazing Dr. that I have here in New York.

There are different kinds of Weird Thing !

by IAN MC - 2014-11-10 06:11:06

My weird thing was atrial flutter which is a certain pattern of irregular heart rhythm . I had one ablation and was CURED ! I now take no drugs, no blood-thinners and I now have normal sinus rhythm. I have no regrets whatsoever !

As Theknotguy said ,you need to find out exactly what type of irregular heart rhythm you have , then find out the likely success rates from an ablation and then make a decision.

If you happen to have atrial flutter, then it is a no-brainer because the success rates are so high ; this does not apply to all types of arrhythmia and we are all different.

Best of luck

Ian

Ablation

by conchfm - 2014-11-13 09:11:23

I have had 3 ablations in 3 years, 2 for Afib, and 1 for Afludder. All had a good outcome each time.

ablation

by Alma Annie - 2014-11-16 09:11:27

I had a 2nd ablation a year after having my first and pm. A lot of 'wierd' things were happening in my heart, so a second was advised. EP did not know if it would help, but we decided to take a chance. EP virtually destroyed my sinus node, he could as I had the pm. I have felt so much better since, that was 2 years ago. I just stayed in hospital over night.
Hope this helps.
Alma Annie
ps, my EP has the reputation of being the best in Australia, and patients are often sent to him from around the country.

You know you're wired when...

Your device acts like a police scanner.

Member Quotes

As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.