Blanking period: Hi all, during my few... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Blanking period

MikeyF profile image
11 Replies

Hi all, during my few years so far reading here I’ve noted several of the more popular posters talking about the post-ablation blanking period being up to 6 months rather than the more typically referred to 3 months. Yet most recent (couple of years) research papers are recommending reducing the blanking period to 1 month from 3 - e.g. see:

<electrophysiology.onlinejac...

As such, I’d love to hear from any folks here who had AF reoccurrence 3 to 6 months after their first PVI/ablation who then went on to have no AF reoccurrence thereafter.

Cheers, Mike.

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MikeyF profile image
MikeyF
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11 Replies
Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747

Interesting read even if it did give me flashbacks of my university statistics class (I never fully understood regression analysis 🙃). Sounds like I’m stuffed - I’m 3 months post ablation and had AF/AT every day since day 2 and I’m on more AADs than ever 😃. I’m off to see my EP today so will see what that visit brings.

MikeyF profile image
MikeyF in reply toKaz747

Hope things move forward positively for you - do keep us all posted.

Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747 in reply toMikeyF

Thanks. For now I need to stay on my meds and have a sleep study after Christmas so we’ll see what that brings.

Breezera profile image
Breezera in reply toKaz747

^ Kaz, I'm so sorry to read of the troubles you've endured since your ablation. Hopefully your EP can zero-in on what the issue is and gets things resolved.

Best wishes,

Richard

Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747 in reply toBreezera

Thanks Richard

Dodie117 profile image
Dodie117

I had many af episodes after my ablation and it took 5 months for everything to go quiet. That was 5 years ago and still af free. Also my resting heart beat too almost a year to go back to its pre ablation rate.

MikeyF profile image
MikeyF in reply toDodie117

Interesting - was that ablation 5 years ago your first? Who did it and where? In brief what was your AF type and history? Really pleased to read how well this has all worked out for you!

Dodie117 profile image
Dodie117 in reply toDodie117

Yes, it was my first carried out in St Thomas’ in London by Mark O’Neill.

I am not much for going to doctors and when I mentioned odd beats years previously, I was told probably just palpitations and no problem. As it progressed I was having episodes lasting a few hours every week. Some issues getting diagnosis. I got referred to StThomas’ in February 2013 and received diagnosis, bisoprolol and warfarin. Mr O’Neill gave me the choice - meds route or ablation route. He was also of the opinion that if I was thinking ablation route then the sooner the better as he had his best results from early intervention. I hated bisoprolol and decided to go for ablation. That was November 2013 and after the initial 5 months no more AF. BLISS!!

I am now much the same as my contemporaries- walking, gardening, dancing. I am 69.

Good luck in your decision making as this is the hardest part.

MikeyF profile image
MikeyF in reply toDodie117

Cheers for the +al info. As it goes (I’m now 57) I’ve had PAF (vagal) for nearly 20 years (runs in family on mother’s side - mother was paroxysmal from mid 30s to 70). ‘Just’ 1 or maybe 2 several hour episodes per year until this year when I had 6 between Jan and June.

So at the end of August this year I took a trip to Bordeaux and had an ablation by Professor Jais. Had some rough ectopics and bigeminy (not pleasant) 3 weeks later.

Of more concern blanking period-wise (and hence my original post here), I had a 2 hour AF episode this last Sunday evening. Notably after a large binge of crisps that upon reading and researching the ingredients afterwards actually contained a lot of MSG but called other things such as ‘onion powder’.

In my case MSG-wise, consider this. In 2015/2016 I had 3 episodes of AF. In that same time period, I had 2 (and only 2) Chinese takeaways. Both times I had AF within a couple of hours. The 3rd episode in that 15/16 time period was after a couple of bags of American MSG-loaded (incl. MSG per se). So I’m 100% certain that I’m VERY sensitive to MSG. Hence my latest episode as above mentioned.

I’d really to think that at 3 1/2 months I’m still just about in the blanking period too but I do wonder if that’s a little towards wishful thinking! Anyway, we’ll see. If I need to I won’t hesitate to go back to Bordeaux to get any PV reconnections touched up!

Regards to all here on this great forum!

Mike

Breezera profile image
Breezera in reply toMikeyF

I'm also VERY sensitive to MSG. My first ever AF episode.. 31 years ago, at age 31.. was brought on by consuming Chinese food containing large doses of MSG. Over the ensuing 15 years or so all my subsequent (albeit infrequent) AF episodes were always triggered by "accidental" MSG ingestion.

In my late 40s / early 50s my situation devolved into definite "vagal PAF" (digestive and positional), wherein my specific AF triggers became more numerous and the episodes more frequent. By age 60 I was having an AF episode almost every week.

Now, at age 62.. I'm 16 weeks post cryoablation, and thankfully have not experienced any AF at all since the procedure was carried out. Obviously love the result - I finally got my life back. :)

Best wishes to all on this forum.

Richard

Dodie117 profile image
Dodie117 in reply toMikeyF

By the time I had the ablation I was having 4 or 5 a week lasting up to six hours.

Also, I believe Mark O’Neill did some of his training in Bordeaux. 🤞

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