Stopping Flecanide

[wendicarro]

Hi,

I have read numerous posts about patients having to stop Flecanide pre ablation, Just wondered why? I was never asked to stop for my last ablations, don't however take them anymore as

they didn't appear to help anyway. You would imagine the guidelines were the same for each health authority on this condition.

Wendi

[jennydog]

When I went for my pre-op the Arrythmia Nurse consulted a chart which detailed the requirements of each of their 6 EPs regarding anticoagulant and drug cessation. They were all different. There were ticks and crosses all over the chart. My EP didn't want anything to be stopped until the night before the ablation.

[Thomps95]

Thanks for asking this question - I'll be interested in what the answer is. I always assumed you would need to stop rhythm control medication if the procedure involves inducing atrial fibrillation in order to identify heart muscle tissue associated with trigger spots. If you're on rhythm control during the procedure, then certain triggers might be masked by the drug so the EP might not get as pure a picture of the nature of your problem - especially if the aim is to take you off medication post-ablation. But if the plan is to ablate all tissue around the pulmonary veins (isolation) then perhaps it doesn't matter.

[dedeottie in reply to Thomps95]

I think that's about it in a nutshell. I was left on flecanide but the E.P. was going to burn round all the pulmonary veins so better to have the heart quiet. That is how I understood it anyway.x

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Thomps95]

They use an infusion of a special drug to induce AF which over rides any control effects of the other drugs if they want to map any areas. They do this at the end of the procedure as well to see if AF can be induced, This is how they can tell you it was successful. I guess also that if you were having cryo ablation then it wouldn't matter what drugs you were taking as they just zap the four pulmonary veins and get out of there. RF is a little more tricky.

[Jason1971 in reply to BobD]

Thanks for clearing that up Bob. I didn't stop Flecainide prior to my ablation and in the post op report the EP stated Velocity 3-D mapping system was used with contact force technology and wide area circumferential ablation was performed to each set of veins in pair. All veins were isolated and I remained in Sinus rhythm throughout. I was unsure being in NSR would make it any less successful.

[Hidden]

I had to stop my rhythm control drugs 3 days before my last ablation. EP said to do that so that I was in AF when they performed the procedure. So to make sure, I stopped 4 days before. They went inside and also gave me something to induce AF, but nothing worked, no AF, no ablation!!!

2-3 days later (still off pills because of no symptoms) my AF returned and I put myself back on the drugs.....gggggrrrrr

K

[wendicarro]

Thanks for that, I guess as long as we get the desired result we would do anything !

I certainly would.

I really wish I had come across this website a few years ago it would have saved me a lot of worry and unanswered questions.

Hope you all have a good day!

Wendi