Afib-and Pumonary vein abalation??

I have a pacemaker for sinus bradacardia

and parxosmyl afib

and I am on medication liquid bete blocker 40 mg a day at

night to stop or try to limit my attacks while asleep
Apparantly pulmonary vein abalation is 85 % effective at ridding you of afib more effective if you have paroxsmyl afib opposed to chronica fib.
Has anyone gone through this operation?
How long does it last I am told 3 - 5 hours seems a long time .
What are side effets?

Was it effective?

Not sure if i should persue it or not as my afib is under 1% but i am only 42 and dont like the idea of living on medication for the rest of my life and if I have this operation I can come opff medication


need advice

Allan

5 Comments

A Fib message board

by Suze - 2008-08-11 03:08:50

Allan,
I also have a PM due to paroxysmal A Fib and bradycardia. Fortunately with my meds (Flecainide and Toprol xL) plus the pacemaker I haven't had an episode in 26 months. I've heard good and bad reports about ablations, so I'm no help there.
However I think you might try an A Fib message board at dailystrength.org. Many people on there have had ablations. Just go to the Atrial Fibrillation "community" on their message board homepage. It's worth a try.

Hope this help,
Suze

Ablation concerns

by fireryan - 2008-08-11 08:08:51

First Allan do some homework at www.Afib.com its a site with tons of info on it and it is maintain by a Afib patient. A firefighter I work with got ablated by Dr. Andrea Natale. He used to work at Cleveland Clinic but now he works out of California and Texas. The firefighter had afib for 14 years. The "specialist" he saw before said it wasn't possible. They were wrong, and now he's "free" of meds and arrhythmias. Amazing! I have another firefighter that was ablated.....with the worst case scenario. They burned out his electrical pathway and now he has a bi ventricular pacemaker. His case he went to several different doctors.....non of which were nationally known.
I flew to Boston from Miami to get my 2nd ablation. My first one was done nearby but far exceeded the Doctors skills. The Doctor in Boston, Dr. Vivek Reddy was actually getting ready to move to the University of Miami to take over there weak program and make it strong. I couldn't wait so I took the trip. I've been doing a lot better ever since. My problem isn't afib....its Vtach and is a bit tricky to ablate, but he was able to help me.
So.....
I would go for an ablation with a well known Doctor. Take the trip if necessary. I recommend Natale, or Reddy. Also Pray as much as possible. That combination and I believe you'll be posting a success story next.
Go to that website and look into it.
Many Blessings on your Journey,

Ryan

CAN BE

by pete - 2008-08-11 11:08:11

The results can be fantastic. A neighbour had 3 pulmonary vein ablation for a-fib in the UK but they did not work. He went to the famous Bordeaux hospital in France and had just one more ablation and he has had a permanent cure. If the Afib does not return after 6 months it is extremely unlikely it will. You need a brilliant and highly experienced EP to have any real chance of success. I know someone else who has been cured by this method but our local hospital is not having much luck. Your existing pacemaker implantation for sinus bradycardia may be an indication that your chances of success are much less. Discuss this with your chosen EP. It is a long proceedure taking some hours and requires great skill to only burn out the right pathways and not damage good ones. I know some people with paroxysmal afib who find it more annoying than permanent afib. Cheers pete

Mixed.....

by Bionic Beat - 2008-08-11 11:08:41

I think the results can be a mixed bag but it's worth checking into for your own situation.

Google "Pulmonary Vein Isolation" and read the research results, all about the procedure (it's long) and then research the best places to have it done.

Your EP will have an opinion about whether or not it's a good idea for your special case.

Good luck.


Bionic Beat

af ablations

by Susan - 2008-08-12 03:08:11

Hi Allan,
I agree with Ryan and do your homework and read up on afib. There are several good web sites to consult. The ablation procedures are relatively new and the field is changing fast as technology improves. One thing that is very import is the skill level of the EP doing an ablation. Many EP's are doing them but success comes with the most experienced EP's. When I considered having an ablation, I researched the information out there and went to one of the best EP's. No regrets (and it did involve considerable travel).
Plan ahead. I know from my interrogations that bit by bit the % of time I was in afib moved up so I decided that when it got to 50% I better have a plan in order for most EP's have waiting lists of several months.
While it is a special bonus to be able to get off all the meds, my goal was to get the afib to stop. I'm almost there.
SusanD

You know you're wired when...

You invested in the Energizer battery company.

Member Quotes

I'm 35 and got my pacemaker a little over a year ago. It definitely is not a burden to me. In fact, I have more energy (which my husband enjoys), can do more things with my kids and have weight because of having the energy.