A Fib isuue

Ablation

by Artist - 2017-03-06 20:46:52

I had an Ablation last year in March.  The doctor that performed the ablation was recommended by my EP and I have the greatest respect for him since he is very experienced and did an outstanding job implanting my PM.  Ablation was recommended since I had an incident where my HR was 234 bpm and often had long periods of afib in spite of various beta blocker medications.   To treat  my afib they did a procedure called a pulmonary vein isolation and I was given a general anesthetic since they wanted absolutely no movement on my part.  The OR was surreal with all sorts of technicians and monitors.  First they map the heart as it sends out the electrical impulses that cause the afib and then they carefully abated the areas around the four pulmonary veins that are located in my left atrium.  Finally they had to carefully extract the catheters they used.  At  no time was I afraid and all of the nurses technicians and doctors were top notch.  The procedure for me lasted 4.5 hours.  Some procedures take less time depending on the location of the tissue they have to ablate.  I had no discomfort in my heart but lying still on my back for six hours post op meant the dreaded bed pan routine.  Due to the blood thinners they administer for the procedure they could  not remove the three catheters inserted in my right groin until blood tests showed I had a sufficient clotting factor. That was the only thing that hurt.  I was discharged at noon the next day.  To make a long story short, an appointment with my EP two weeks ago showed an improvement in my EF from 50 to 60 and although my afib is not completely gone, it occurs less often and is of shorter duration and less intense.  The skill and experience of the doctor is worth researching.  It also takes several months after the ablation for the tissue to fully heal so that the actual results of the procedure can be more accurately evaluated.  I am definafely pleased with my decision to have the ablation. The success of the procedure varies from person to person.  Some people have such good results they can stop taking the beta blocker medications that have side effects like fatigue etc.  My doctor has refused to take me off the beta blockers for now.  Looking back, this was a good choice for me and is considered to be a low risk procedure. Considering that my severe afib sent me to the hospital for 5 days, and my heart actually stopped in the ER, I have absolutely nothing but gratitude for the miracle of modern medicine,  my PM and the excellent care I have received.  Also, it was my Merlin monitor that sent a report in that prompted the monitoring agency to phone me, tell me that they were calling the ER and that the ER would phone me.  The ER phoned and told me to get there ASAP, otherwise I probably would not be typing this report to you.  Best wishes.  I hope that I have provided some useful information.  Also there are a number of excellent videos on line showing actual ablations or just explaining what occurs during the procedure.

Flutter Ablation

by IAN MC - 2017-03-07 12:56:09

Ablation for atrial flutter is usually highly successful ( my cardiologist claims cure-rates of over 95 % ) . I had it done over 5 years ago and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I immediately had normal rhythm and came off blood-thinners . The procedure itself is a piece of cake ( but don't think too much about what they are doing to you ) and recovery is almost immediate.. I was out running a few days after the procedure.

Artist's procedure was obviously more complicated than a flutter ablation . Mine was completed in under an hour.

I hope yours is as successful as mine was !

Ian

Ablation

by Alma Annie - 2017-03-09 00:21:11

After my first ablation for A fib, my heart rate went from 200 to 23, so cardio stopped it. 2 days later I had a pacemaker fitted.  Had problems with heart for a year so cardio decided to do another ablation.  This time he virtually destroyed the sinus node and I am 100% paced in atrium.  Brilliant;  I have had no problems at all since then and that was 4 years ago.  No A fib, no heart problems, all good.

Alma Annie.