Hi all, I have PAF and as I can’t tolerate the meds I am due to have an ablation in July. Over the last couple of days I have been experiencing what I assume are lots of ectopic beats on and off during that time. I have a Kardia mobile device and keep getting ‘unclassified’ readings as opposed to ‘possible afib’ when I’m in afib. My question is are these ectopic beats dangerous as I’ve had them now for two days ? I’m just concerned as I’m not taking blood thinners which was ok’d by my EP, I just have verapamil as a pill in pocket but as my heart isn’t beating rapidly just irregularly I haven’t taken it.
Thanks in advance for any advice
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Maura5
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Hi, the reason I don’t take anticoagulants is because I have had severe side effects with all the types my EP prescribed, as my chadsvasc score is 1 which he said was borderline he decided not to prescribe any more.
My score is also 1 and my cardiologist insists I take an anticoagulant. I think the threat of a stroke is possibly more serious than ectopics. Good luck with it all.
Ectopics are fundamentally harmless even though they do not feel like it. Not sure that I agree that you do not need anticoagulants though. You will need to be anticoagulated for at least a couple of months prior to your ablation in any case so I would be inclined to question this with your EP.
My EP has said I will not need anticoagulants before my ablation, so am going with his advice, I was just wondering are all these ectopics I’ve been experiencing over the last couple of days are dangerous? I just feel exhausted, In fact a couple of hours of AFIB would be preferable to me!
I have had 7 ablations. For all of them the hospital has made it clear that I had to have a steady set of INR results for the 4 weeks leading up to the ablation that is to say between 2 & 3.
Furthermore they said that if my INR was not between 2 & 3 on the day of my planning ablations the procedure would be cancelled.
How can the approach be so fundamentally different from one hospital to another?
Hi Maura, I have ectopics most days now and my heartbeat is very irregular hence I have been taking flecainide for the last 10yrs but although it keeps the AF at bay the ectopics can be very tiring. I also cannot take anticoagulants due to another condition so have had an Amulet device fitted to seal off the left atrial appendage and help prevent clots from forming there so hopefully some peace of mind.
Hi Maura I too have ectopic beats a darned nuisance that they are. like you my chadsvac score was only 1 I didn’t need to take anticoagulants either I had CTI Ablation 3 weeks ago now
My Kardia device always says unclassified when in ectopic I ran at 106bpm yest! And I hadn’t got out of bed at that point !! Not irregular just fast
My EP didn’t seem overly worried bout no anticoagulants he just kept saying my risk was too low and given the facts I’m awkward with meds Ie I have too many allergic reactions I was bad enough on heparin (with an antidote in it) and the morphine and Bp fell thru the floor I was very poorly Indeed but that’s me we knew I was allergic to heparin but I had to have it so something was put in it to stop that
I was more worried about not having anticoagulants than EP!!
I’m told ectopic bears are not dangerous just a nuisance!! But I’ve had them all my life so it’s normal to me.
Hope you get sorted soon PAF is a pain it just comes and goes but like you ide rather have AF than ectopics!!!
Thank you so much! I feel relieved to read that I’m not the only one in the world who has had bad reactions to medications (beta blockers, anticoagulants etc) It also doesn’t help matters that my BP is low anyway so the drugs tend to lower it even more. Thank you again for your reassuring reply.
As far as I know there are ventricular and atrial ectops
generally they are both harmless the atrial one is more common after the ablation
the ventricular one could occur with or without AF but it needs medical attention if it becomes more frequent what I think is best to do to print your ECG and bring it to your GP in case if you cant get an immediat appt w your EP
Re the anti coagulant ,
My husband was told to start taking it just few days before the ablation and will cont for 8 wks after the decision is depending on your Chad score and your Ep opinion !
I had an ablation in August 2016. I still get periods of ectopic activity, sometimes, every few seconds or every few minutes and then nothing for days or the odd ectopic over an entire week. I try not to focus on them but it's always easier said than done, especially after the ablation when you are afraid the AF will return. The reality is that it does no good to worry about them; the ectopics will pass.
As for anticoagulation therapy, I disagree that everyone diagnosed with PAF should be on an anticoagulant. Your overall health history needs to determine your approach in consultation with your EP. My EP did not put me on anticoagulant therapy for the 7 years from diagnosis of PAF right up to my ablation. I did not have to take anticoagulants before my ablation, only right after for 3 months on Xarelto. I am currently not taking anticoagulation but will review this with my EP later this year when I turn 65 and after consideration of appropriate blood test results, etc. These are my thoughts and experience. Take care.
Thank you so much Steven, I was so worried when I read all these comments saying I should definitely be on anticoagulants and will have to take them before the ablation. I have gone into this thoroughly with my EP who said I do not need to take anticoagulants now or before my ablation!
There are so many different stories in this forum but the only one that counts is your own. Each of us has to understand our own health situation, our risks and what treatments may help, considering all the benefits and downsides. In my case I tried everything from nutrition, herbal remedies, meditation, etc. While all helped, the only thing that has given me back a quality of life has been the ablation. How long it will keep the AF 'monster' away I don't know, but it has to this point ('touch wood'!). The key for me has been learning everything I could about AF by researching the web, talking to cardiologists, naturopaths, and then deciding what might help. After 7 years of trying all I could do, I decided I couldn't live with PAF as it was robbing me of predictability. I wasted 7 years of my life and I wanted to feel I could go for a walk, cycle, eat at a restaurant - all without the constant worry about 'what if I go out of sinus rhythm. There are so many roadblocks in life but if ablation can move the biggest obstacle out of the way so you can enjoy the simple things then go for it. Who knows what technology may become available down the road but we have to seize the moment because, truthfully, the moment is all anyone really has AF or not! Do what's right for you!
My understanding of ablations is that even with them, you still need an anticoagulant. What gets you rid of needing them is a left atrial appendage removal or a WATCHMAN device which means you don't need a blood thinner. If you have high blood pressure, you could try an ACE or ARB med as it helps to stop Afibs and/or helps prevent electrical re-modelling. You can look this up in PubMed. Ectopics are a matter of burden as to being benign or not. You can also look that up in the same place...recent research indicates they are not benign in the sense of how many you get per hour or day. They are implicated in increased strokes as well...you can also find that in PubMed. Plantwords has got it right. You never know what technology lies down the road so you got to keep up hope. As a two time cancer survivor with THAT sword hanging over my head, you live in the moment and keep up the hope. BTW, I had about two months of constant ectopics...I kind of attribute them to the steroid eye drops I had to take....they landed on my tongue and I got the beats 3 days after taking them. Nothing else seems to fit. Then, they just stopped. But, I know, you worry. I take 10 mg rivarobaxan (had a rectal bleed) so am nervous about the 20mg...only had Afib twice 12 and 10 years ago....but am going to switch to apixaban as recent data indicates it is the safest. The one I am taking is the worst. Wishing you good luck and great health as you move forward!!
Hi, thanks for your reply. I spoke to my EP earlier today and he put my mind at rest, he said everybody is different and will be treated accordingly, what treatment is right for one person maybe won’t suit another and told me not to worry, my treatment has been tailored for my heart so I definitely do not need anticoagulants before my ablation even on the day and the ectopics are nothing to worry about, phew!
So glad you have talked to your EP and had your mind put at rest.
We are all different and so is the approach at each hospital.
We are not doctors on this forum and can only speak from experiences.
We live and learn.
I too have lots of ectopics they are not pleasant but seem to be very common. After having 7 ablations and suffering PAF for 26 years I find every one makes me think I am back in AF yet I have now gone The longest length of time free of AF.
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