Successful Ablation

[Maxicono]

Can any body tell me some good story abouth a successful ablation for Atrial fibrillation that still last or lasted at list 10 years ?

[RobertELee]

10 years might be pushing it as those performed prior to 2005 probably lacked the skilled techniques that have developed and continue to develop, in the last decade. A good question though and it will be interesting to hear responses.

Ask the same question again in 2025 and there will be millions of us! How's that for confidence.....

[jimmysouthgates in reply to RobertELee]

My friend at work had an ablation done 15 years ago and although he still gets ectopics etc he is af free. I use him as my benchmark although we are all different. Its rapidly changing so I genuinely do believe in 10 years there will be a different procedure to tackle this pestful ailment

[Hidden]

A friend who does a lot of hiking had a straight forward one, which to date has lasted 8+ years. Very occasionally he will be hit by tiredness and knows to take it easy for that day. No drugs.

[wendicarro]

Hi,

My brother in law had his second ablation about 8 to 10 years ago and has had no further problems!

He is certainly one of the luck ones, but I am sure there are loads of people out there.

Wendi

[BobD Volunteer]

six years and counting

[Rellim296]

I expect there are people out there, but how many of them, so many years on, will still be thumbing through this forum? Apart from our much esteemed Bob, that is, and as he says he only chalks up six years of success.

Do EPs have any records of success stories? Do they keep tabs on what happens to their patients? If one comes to a sticky end is an EP notified? Or do they just fade from the horizon?

[10gingercats in reply to Rellim296]

Relim. You raise a very important issue re. records of success stories....and lack of them.Were records to be kept of these now fairly routine procedures we would all feel more(or less) confident as the case may be when we are considering whether to have them done.

[Rellim296 in reply to 10gingercats]

My own ablation career started at Wythenshawe which is 80 miles from where I live. Presumably my file there just says transferred elsewhere. Those of us from up north were subsequently allocated to Blackpool, a mere 50 or so miles away, where I had a second ablation. I have two hospital numbers (Blackpool and Lancaster/Westmorland General) on my now redundant medical bracelet. Hopefully in this digital age my notes are readily available, although I have had to provide my own copy of ECGs for perusal before now.

[pip_pip]

The paramedic who took me to the hospital when I was in fast AF 5am one morning, had an ablation 10 years ago for SVT with total success.

Phil

[KipperJohn]

Good point about patient records. Interesting that the general advice given by the NHS prior to an ablation is about a 70 per cent success rate, with variations for age, other health issues, severity of AF etc That presupposes that the NHS do keep track of patients who have an ablation , otherwise how can they give that advice? There is also data given on issues/risks before you sign the consent form. My cardiologist laboured the point that ablation is a treatment and not necessarily a cure and, along with the EP, advised that further ablations might be necessary.

My three months blanking period ended yesterday and I see the EP on 13 November. I'm still optimistic even though I've had 4 AF episodes since the ablation - I feel reasonably well the rest of the time and just try and get on with life.

[Maxicono in reply to KipperJohn]

Stay strong my friend

[Thomps95]

A related question: is there evidence that fully "successful" ablation for AF nonetheless has negative very-long-term consequences for cardiac health? (e.g., after 10-12 year, is there a higher risk of cardiomyopathy than, for example, chemically controlled treatment?). Or when you destroy isolated heart tissue, it is just like cutting your finger: a healing process and a scar, but no negative health consequences. How resilient is the heart to a procedure that destroys tissue?

[Maxicono in reply to Thomps95]

I think that technology fly this days I think in the future successful rate will definitely increase so fare it seems that Cryoablation is a very good way to go......good points Thomps95 good point.

[10gingercats in reply to Thomps95]

Try getting answers to some of the issues you have raised when you next see your cardiologist and watch his reaction....We, the patients, are only now begin. to ask these serious and important questions of cardiac teams and some of them do not know the answers...yet....Some people are still struggling to get answers from their GPs concerning fairly routine questions. And changing yourGP when you face a brick wall is not always an option for various reasons.

[Maxicono in reply to 10gingercats]

I'm investigate personally the matter and my personal opinion that GP and Electrofisiologists do not like disclose info as AFIB its a complicate matter...foe example when they realize that a patient can be in serious condition inform him will bring them allot of grief so they tend to hide precious info's so its important get very well documented about AFIB procedure so when you face them they will realize that they do not talk to an inexperienced!!!!

Here something very helpful that you will like to read dear friend.

biosensewebster.com/documen...

[teach2learn in reply to Thomps95]

One year post first ablation, with no meds but blood pressure, I feel a difference, overall, in my "chest". Hard to describe, but from day one, there has been a little more sense of heaviness in the center of my chest, and my resting heart rate went from 60 to 70 or 80, so I'd have to vote for some negative "side effects" of the procedure. BUT, I'll take those any day of the week over afib!

[Hidden]

10 years ago, I had AF that had gone 24/7. My ablation done back then worked immediately, i.e. that day, and kept me clear of AF and drugs (except anti-coags) for 8 years. Then, after 8 years I got a teeny-weeny bit of AF back. But it was so small that it would have been easily missed by a lot of people. It felt like a little muscle twitch under my armpit. I was booked in for another ablation but the AF disappeared. I still don't have it back as far as I know, but I do have a lot of ectopics instead, so back on other drugs now.

So in a way, yes I can say I've been clear of AF for 10 years after a successful ablation.

Koll

[Maxicono]

Thanks allot for your feed back MI ask what type of ablation you got?

[Hidden in reply to Maxicono]

PVI.

[Hidden in reply to Maxicono]

PS. A lot of people who've had successful ablations and don't have AF, at least for now, won't be on this forum. I only joined because my AF had come back a bit, otherwise it would have never crossed my mind.

[Michael1234]

Good question.