I have been referred for an ablation assessment in Basildon (does this have a good reputation?) I was told the success rate was 70% not necessarily on the first ablation. My main worries:
1. From reports I have read here and elsewhere: it often seems not to work and can even make thinks worse.
2. It sounds dangerous
3. It sounds scary.
Also, I have no idea what the waiting time is... hopefully a very long one.
Hi there, I had my ablation done at Liverpool heart and chest hospital 6 weeks ago, my wait time was about 6 months considering all of my appointments. It was a scary experience because I had never been through that type of procedure before, but now I'm on the other side so to speak I'm glad I went ahead. I would have a second ablation if needed no problem at all.
My symptoms are currently a lot better as it stands so my quality of life has improved greatly.
My advise to you would be to proceed when your quality of life dictates, but make it sooner rather than later as AF will normally progress with age.
By the time I had my ablation it was by far the lesser of two evils.
If you do your research you will probably feel a lot better as statistically the ablation procedure is not high risk and does have a high success rate.
Best wishes with whatever you choose to do... Dave.
New things always sound scary and dangerous. Describe to a member of a lost Amazonian tribe how to drive a car and they would be terrified. Knowledge is power.
I am a devout coward and had three before my AF went away (complex case as usual) and would have a fourth of ever I needed it.
Remember few successful ablatees inhabit planet HUL AF because the don't need us any more.
BUT!!!! Ablation is just another treatment to try to improve quality of life just like any other treatment for AF.
By the way Basildon is the main cardio thorasic centre for Essex so you aint got much choice unless you go to one of the London centres. Good luck with whatever you choose but make your decision and don't look back.
Basildon sounds ok. A friend of mine went to Royal Brompton (on the NHS) for a bypass and said they were superb. I wonder if I could ask to be referee there? Travel-wise there isn’t much difference.
All my three have been at RBHT as at the time there was no EP facility in Devon.
Are they as good as their reputation suggests? I guess the waiting list might be longer as a lot of people likely choose them.
All I can say is it worked for me.
Sabine Ernst has some experimental procedures using very modern machinery but I have not been treated by her. My EP is Jonathan Clague.
Barts and London AF Centre are Prof. Richard Schilling who you must have heard of I'm sure and many outlying EPs were trained there. Those are just two of many London centres if you want to travel into town.
Hi I have had all my treatment for permanent Afib at Basildon I could not speak more highly of my treatment and all the staff. I am Afib free a year after my ablation. I know it is daunting but I feel like I have my old life back now I am in the gym and riding my bike etc so I have no regrets. Good luck you are in good hands.
Hi. I had my ablation for flutter and afib in March. Of course it is scary but I took the plunge. I would not hesitate to have it again if the need arose. The procedure and aftercare has been second to none. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
It doesn’t always work, but often can.
There are some risks and they will always need to explain things thoroughly in order to gain ‘informed consent’ from you so it is easy to only hear the down sides.
It sounds much, much worse than the experience. The drugs they give you mean you don’t actually remember very much at all.
There is a chance in some people that it can make things worse - happened to me - so I went and had a second ablation 12 weeks later and that did work. But there are no guarantees.
IMHO if there is a good chance that ablation will work and that for me would be more than 50:50, then surely it is much, much more preferable than taking heavy duty drugs over a long period of time or for life?
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything and react emotionally rather than think through the possible outcomes of all your options. May I suggest you find someone you trust and may know a bit about these options to talk through with you the ‘what if’s’ and what concerns you.
Ablation can work very, very well, especially in younger people with no other conditions and who are not overweight and reasonably fit.
The best way you can help yourself is to find some help to manage your fears so you can make a decision as to your next steps and then stick with it.
Basildon hospital has a separate cardiac unit it is amazing and people come from all over the country for operations and procedures. I can't help you with the for and against ablation. I have opted nit to have one in fact my cardiologist has said I don't need it and I am continuing with meds which have they side effects. Others on here will have a much better idea about it and have had ablation themselves. Good luck
I was under treatment at Basildon and although ultimately I never had an ablation, the consultant that looked after me was Barts trained and was very professional indeed.
Two years ago I developed heart failure and am now under a different consultant but once again I can say that my treatment has been second to none. As Bob says the Cardiothoracic Centre is located at Basildon and I think we are lucky to have such a dedicated unit in the area.
The very best of luck and keep us posted on your progress.
Thanks to everyone who has replied on this and the other thread. I have read all of the replies . If I haven’t replied it doesn’t mean I didn’t find the reply important - I just didn’t want to clog up the whole group with stuff about me.
The cardiothoracic centre at Basildon is excellent. Don’t judge it by the rest of the hospital which is terrible. I saw an EP there called Stuart Harris who has an excellent reputation. Like you the thought of ablation terrifies me and I have taken the decision that I will not have it done at this time. My episodes of PAF are not that frequent and usually because for example I have eaten a sweet dessert too late in the evening, so my own fault. This may well change in the future and I will have to look at it again.
Again, please do not be concerned about Basildon cardiothoracic centre. It is excellent and has some top, top cardiac consultants there.
Val
I had a pvi cryo ablation for PAF left atria which occurred 6 months after my initial ablation Jan 29th . I then had to have a second ablation for a flutter in the right atria and this was rf. Neither were much of a problem, non events, little pain and what there is is short lived. both done under mild sedation. The pain from the cryo ablation is just like he brain freeze you get from biting into a very cold icecream. Groin was done by a local anaesthetic, felt nothing there during either procedure and the was no bleeding after despite being on anti coagulants. I came off all drugs on may15 and it is marvellous. No rhythm, or rate control drugs ! No tiredness, exercise intolerance, breathlessness or brain fog.
If i had to have another ablation tomorrow morning to keep in this drug free state I would have one .
I had my Ablation at Basildon. my treatment was excellent, staff were excellent. I had one episode of AF three days later then no more. It is now 20 month's since and no problems.
I wouldn't hesitate.
Like others here I have been treated at the CardioThoracicCentre at Basildon. I agree that it is a first class centre. They have all the latest kit and have been carrying out Ablation procedures since they became a mainstream treatment. I waited 4 months for my PVI ablation in May. After a rough few weeks and a few months of ectopics on and off, I have been AF ectopic and drug free for six weeks. Feeling good at the moment. I was a bit scared but the procedure was fine and the recovery was not as bad as I thought it might be.
Is the procedure actually painful or just uncomfortable? Are you offered the choice of a GA or sedation?
Regarding GA vs. sedation at the point I was offered the treatment and was added to the waiting list I was offered a choice between GA and sedation. However I was informed that the wait would be longer if I opted for GA since this requires the presence of an anaesthetist where as sedation does not. I opted for sedation since I wanted to speed things up.
Regarding the experience of the procedure you are given midazolam to sedate you and pethidine for pain relief. It seems that this is not quite an exact science. If you report being very alert or report any pain you will be topped up and given extra meds. In my case I did feel the first few burns (I has RF ablation) so was given extra. After that I slept through most of the op. I did feel quite odd at one point but apparently that was because my heart stopped briefly! So I would say a little uncomfortable at the start but overall fine.
Ablation and Anesthetics - confused of Wiltshire 
Ablation
ABLATION 
