Cpap and afib

[carsanrey]

Tomorrow I see my cardiologist and I'm curious what he'll recommend since I'm currently being tested for sleep apnea that test is pending I may need to start CPAP therapy. Has anyone in the community experience CPAP therapy and how that helps with Afib? I'm hoping that whatever he recommends he will give me a chance to do the CPAP therapy first since that might give me a better chance of a second cardio enversion working as opposed to the first one that failed when I was flecainide. I have been on amiodarone now for about a month-and-a-half

[BobD Volunteer]

Sleep apnoea is a know contributor to AF so it would make sense to get that sorted out first as your AF burden may well reduce. (One can always hope).

[carsanrey in reply to BobD]

Sounds good.

[Polski]

If they have given you the amiodarone in preparation for a cardioversion, then I would go with it and have the cardioversion, as you don't want to be on amiodarone any longer than necessary, and that should help the cardioversion to hold.

A CPAP machine should help if you need it, but it may take a while for you to see the effects in the form of less AF burden. I would run with whatever they suggest except an ablation - which is unlikely to happen anytime soon anyway, so even if you go on the list you will have plenty of time to sort the sleep apnea first. And you can always change your mind when you get a date for the ablation if your AF has been much improved.

Research on here (box at top right of screen) for previous posts about sleep apnea and CPAP machines.

[carsanrey in reply to Polski]

Great info thanks!

[Hidden]

Don’t expect the CPAP to be the answer to everything. I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea 7 years ago and given a CPAP, I didn’t get my first AFib until 3 years later and although I had a cardioversion I went back into AFib months later and diagnosed with persistent af although in the CPAP throughout.

[carsanrey in reply to Hidden]

Yes the cardiologist and np both feel it would help but didn't give me clear picture if they would go forward with cardio enversion on any set date yet.

[djmnet]

Sleep apnea and CPAP machines are the current big business model for doctors and their suppliers. It's a booming business these days. Not sure how our ancestors managed without a machine attached to their face while they slept.

[carsanrey in reply to djmnet]

Yea big pharmaceutical companies and dme suppliers are in cahutz