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Ectopic Beats Post Ablation

Jason1971 profile image
23 Replies

I'm one week post ablation and feel pretty good. I know it's very early days, but I have what I believe to be ectopic beats. The past three days for approx an hour or so my pulse has changed rhythm. I don't think it is AF, as I have quite a few solid beats, then a couple in quick succession followed by a run of solid beats again. There doesn't appear to be a precise pattern to the beats, but I do have a good period before I get the quick beats. Opposed to being in AF where they are very random. I have the Alivecor App for my phone and if I'm honest I haven't been using a great deal of late, but using it now it picks up the quick beats and when its finished collecting data, it doesn't flag up any issues.

Does it sound like Ectopic beats what I am trying to explain?

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Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971
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23 Replies
BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

All sounds quite normal recovery to me. Ectopic beats are a good sign as it shows the heart isn't able to go into AF.

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

Forgot to say, ectopics normally show as flipped Ts in other words the big spike goes down rather than up.

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971 in reply toBobD

Thanks Bob, I wouldn't say mine are inverted as such, more like extra beats every now and again. Thanks for your response, I know there is quite a while to go with the recovery process before I get a little disheartend.

Finvola profile image
Finvola

Hi Jason - what you describe sounds very like runs of ectopics I had and posted my AliveCor tracing for advice some time ago:

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Hope it settles quickly.

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971 in reply toFinvola

Thank you Finvola, that looks more or less like what I have. Never really seen an ectopic before, just AF.

fallingtopieces profile image
fallingtopieces in reply toFinvola

Finvola, Your recordings are so similar to mine.

I have a recording just like your one above (in my collection)which woke me at 3am one morning. It felt like bubble wrap being popped in my chest and was not like my usual ectopic tracings.healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

I've also read in your posts that you had a run of 10 beats of VT too, just like I caught as per this post of mine. Spooky!

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Pat

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply tofallingtopieces

Indeed! That run of mine was never repeated, as far as I know and was noted by my EP as either aberrant conduction or nonsustained VT. At the time, I was really scared and it was strangely comforting to know that someone else had it too.

Another thing we have in common, Pat - I noticed that Dr Dave responded to my question too! I didn't know who he was then though. Really spooky??

fallingtopieces profile image
fallingtopieces in reply toFinvola

Oooo... That is spooky! X

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971 in reply toFinvola

Hi Finvola, I've added my Alivecor reading to this post now, as you can see there are parts similar to yours.

Finvola profile image
Finvola in reply toJason1971

Spot on Jason. I have several tracings that look like that. I gave them to my EP and he confirmed PAC's.

fallingtopieces profile image
fallingtopieces

Jason,Is it anything like this Alivecor reading of mine? This is a run of PACs (premature atrial contractions). If your reading has ectopics going downwards instead, they are PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). Ventricular ectopics always go downwards and Atrial ones upwards.

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Pat

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971 in reply tofallingtopieces

Mine is very, very similar to Finvola's Pat. Normal for a while, then two beats close together. Not too worried as I only had my procedure last week. Just curious more than anything.

dedeottie profile image
dedeottie

During that first week post ablation I had a half hour run of ectopic beats which would usually have triggered A.F. but didn't. I also had 12 hours of a high heart rate around 100 b.p.m. but all has been quiet since so fingers crossed......

Therealsue profile image
Therealsue

Jason - I recently had a 48 hour monitor and it showed up loads of ectopics. My EP said that you'd expect to find this in the normal population. For ages after ablation (last May), I'd live in dread that these runs of ectopics would trigger an AF episode, but I've now got used to them. However, it has to be said that I do find them quite scary sometimes.

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971 in reply toTherealsue

Thanks Therealsue, I hope everything has settled down for you now. Whether I am having Ectopis or PACs they aren't going into AF, so that is the main thing. As Bob states it's a good sign, as AF is trying to rear its head and not able to do so. A long way to go for me yet.

Thanks again,

Jason

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

I'll drink to that!

froggy4x4 profile image
froggy4x4 in reply toBobD

Noooo.... don't drink anything alcohol post AF Bob at least for 12 months.

And binge drinking is apparently a contributor to what is referred to as 'holiday heart' = AF.

August last year I had my ablation procedure Jason and still no AF... though I am still experiencing the occasional ectopic beat which I have had from the day I use to be super fit (16yo) - so the ectopic is something I'm use to anyway. Still.. no AF yet, touch wood.

You say you are a fitness fanatic Jason and obviously carry not a lot of weight, I was told by so called cardiologists that if I loose weight the AF episodes would decrease significantly, that just did not happen.

They tested me for sleep apnoea before August last year as the cardiologist has seen apnoea as a contributing factor to AF, the treatment for apnoea they put me onto was CPAP and during the use of CPAP my AF went almost persistent forcing me desperately into the ablation procedure.

I show ZERO symptoms of apnoea and yet these so called sleep specialist (seen two of them already) want to treat me for something I don't have. Their methods of diagnosing apnoea is so, so wrong.

I have no faith in how they diagnose apnoea and I really fear these idiots will put me back into AF now they still want to treat me.

10 years ago my AF was triggered by a dodgy not well tested general anaesthetic which was administered for a rotator cuff operation.

Specialist love to blame everything else apart from their own stuff ups mate.

Lucky for me I manage to stumble onto a brilliant young Cardiologist from Bulgaria, all other cardiologist I've seen over a 10 year period did nothing but take my money and feed me drugs. Beware of the Merry go Round drug cycle with a lot of these older cardiologists that don't actually do the ablation procedure.

Not every AF is the same for everyone and what works for one may not work for the other... we are all very different and yet all the specialist treat us like cattle?!

Just sharing my story with you Jason... which no doubt could be very different to yours, but hey? There might be something in all of the above that could help, who knows.

MickN profile image
MickN in reply tofroggy4x4

Regards alcohol past ablation.

I never really drunk much since October 14 and nothing since new years day up until about 11weeks after my ablation which was the 17th February 15.

However a week before going on a long haul holiday i decided on a couple of beers on two separate ocassions and with the blessing of my EP, no AF.

When I went on holiday 20th April, I drank (not a lot) every day, and only on three ocassions did I feel some missed beats which the most lasting about about half an hour, but the same missed beats had occurrred a few times prior to drinking any alcohol anyway, so nothing different.

On seeing the AN on the 08th May, I explained my alcohol consumption and slight symptoms when doing so and he explained this would have no bearing on the ablation being a success anyway, it will either work or it won't.

jeffer profile image
jeffer

Jason, that ECG strip looks just like mine these days (2 months post-ablation). What's interesting to me is that my Alivecor readings before my ablation when I was in normal rhythm, never showed extra beats (PACs or PVCs), so I am assuming that these extra beats are a direct result of the ablation. Have your extra beats settled down yet and did you have any Alivecor readings from before your ablation?

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971 in reply tojeffer

I've not had the extra beats since. I have had a couple of runs of AF and they definitely show up differently on Alivecor. Looking through my readings prior to the ablation I didn't have any of these extra beats. I suspect the extra bets you experience are an outcome of the ablation. Do they cause you any discomfort?

jeffer profile image
jeffer in reply toJason1971

Well, I can feel them fairly often and the best words I can use to describe how I feel then is anxious. Never had that feeling before the ablation - either I was "normal" or in afib. Glad to hear yours have gone away but sorry you have some AFs (I still have those too, although less duration than before ablation)

Scott1101 profile image
Scott1101 in reply tojeffer

I'm now two months post ablation and have pac the come and go did you ever stop getting them completely

saneer_gera profile image
saneer_gera in reply toScott1101

Did you stop having them i am in same boar as you

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