Atrial fibrillation ablation

While having pacmaker checked on Fri last, cardio not pleased with the readout of my PM which is spiking a lot and suggests Atrial fibrillation ablation which is fixing the electrics under general anaesthetic through my groin. Has anyone had this &what was recovery time. ? Thanks Jemmima

6 Comments

Many Videos Available

by Artist - 2016-04-11 02:04:36

I am scheduled to have an Ablation for Afib on May 27th. I have been watching various utube videos concerning the procedure and have met with the EP that will be doing the ablation. The procedure for afib is more complicated than the treatment for atrial flutter and usually takes around 6 hours. The mapping instruments and ablation tool access the heart by incisions in the femoral arteries in the groin and are threaded up to the right atrium. From there the ablation catheter punctures the heart wall that separates the right and left atrium. Once access is gained to the right atrium, the areas around the 4 blood vessels that enter the left atrium are ablated. My EP is going to administer Heparin to reduce the potential for blood clots to form and I will need to stay in the hospital overnight for observation to insure there are no bleeding or other problems. It is possible that I will have some pain and discomfort for several days after the procedure. I will also have to continue taking my medications since the ablation irritates the heart and can produce arrythmias. The heart must have time to heal (usually two months) before they can accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the ablation. If successful, it is often possible to discontinue taking medications. Here is a link to one of many videos that shown the procedure:
https://m.youtube.com/watchfeature=youtu.be&v=SZ_uIfj-hIQ&t=25s In browsing the videos, you will find that there is a difference in procedure times, depending on the locations and types of arrythmias being treated.

Ablation

by Jemmima - 2016-04-11 04:04:46

Thank you so much to "Jackw" ; "Roys" ; and "artist" for your very helpful comments. I actually thought I was getting flutters from playing bad bridge.....Having it done on 25 April....Jemmima

Will Be Thinking of You

by Artist - 2016-04-11 05:04:08

Please let us know how you are following your ablation. It will be so nice to be free of arrythmias. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

A-FIB ABLATION

by Roys - 2016-04-11 12:04:15

Hi
I had the ablation about 7 years ago, the procedure took 7 hours, and 4 hours to stop the bleeding. Due to complications i was in hospital 5 days. The procedure did not stop my AF, but there was some improvement. You may need up to 3 procedures, and this improves the success further. You need to see an EP not a cardio. In general the ablation procedure is performed under conscious sedation.

Cheers Roy


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Been there, done that

by Jackw - 2016-04-11 12:04:52

Had an ablation for aflutter. The specialist did a slick job. Barely any marks on my groins (they used both sides to get instruments in.) The flutter was completely stopped. I stayed over night in the hospital but walked out the next day. I took it easy for a day and went back to work. Now aflutter is well treated by ablation since it is one spot that is causing the problem. I don't know your situation but AF could be more complicated requiring multiple spots be ablated in which case the recovery could be a bit longer. A plus is already having a PM in place. That said, the hospital where I had this done does many of these per day. I would say ablations are a fairly routine procedure now. Just be sure your cardio is very experienced.

Afib ablation

by golden_snitch - 2016-04-13 06:04:10

Well, usually an ablation is not the first line therapy to treat Afib. Usually, at least one betablocker and one antiarrhythmic drug are tried first. Especially in patients who are barely symptomatic from Afib (you don't say anything about symptoms), suggesting an ablation straight away is VERY odd.

All procedures have their risk, and an Afib ablation can cause serious complications; rare, but happens. So, you don't do this unless the patient is symptomatic and unless other treatment options have failed. There are a few cases in which Afib ablation is suggested as first line therapy: young and otherwise healthy patients who are symptomatic. But most EPs still try medications first.

Also, please chose the clinic where you have this ablation wisely. Don't go anywhere where they do less then 700-800 Afib ablations per year as skill is very important in these ablations! You need someone who has lots of experience!

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