The risk of ablation

[Euve]

I am going for anablation next month, does anyone know the major risks? Has anyone on the site who has had an ablation have had any problems from the procedure

[IanMK]

Your EP should advise you of both the risks and the benefits he anticipates in your case, otherwise how are you expected to make an informed decision? Ask what the risks are then ask what he/she does if the situation arises. Does he/she make details of their success rates / outcomes available? How many ablations have they performed? The more experience they have, the more likely they will avoid the risks.

[BobD Volunteer]

Why not read the booklet on ablation from AF Associataion website then you will know enought to ask your EP his record.

There are risks in anything, even doing nothing!

[CDreamer]

The only complication that I have seen posted on this site is damage to the Phrenic nerve which recovers in time but the EP will explain ALL of the risks for you.

The main thing the doctors DON’T tell you is the very common affects many, not all, people experience after the procedure such as migraine auras, sore throat, sometime cough and acid reflux. These normally go away by themselves after a few days.

Go to the AFA website - download the leaflet on recovering from an ablation - if you can find it! BobD ??

heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...

[opal11uk in reply to CDreamer]

What are migraine auras please because I wonder if this happened to me?

[CDreamer in reply to opal11uk]

It’s a perceptual disturbance of the senses - mostly eyesight. when you see an aura of light, sometimes colours, sometimes more like looking through a fog or your sense of smell and taste become distorted or you smell things that aren’t there. I’ve had a few weird ones, usually smells only last a few seconds or comes and goes but it can be disturbing.

It’s thought that it is caused by puncturing the wall between the atria to allow access to the left atria in ablation for AF. There has been a known link between people who have migraine and having a PFO or a hole in the wall which should have closed at birth, but remained open. I had this and have always had migraines with auras - until after my second ablation - never had a migraine since. Weird.

[opal11uk in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for the explanation, I had never suffered migraines prior to ablation and not sure if what I experienced was in fact caused by migraines, I had 'whiteouts' where heat rose from my feet throughout my body to my head and everything went white, it was awful. I suffered this, returning to the hospital who checked me over and couldn't understand it. I eventually saw my cardio, he told me that these were the same as blackouts, prior to collapse each time and therefore dangerous i.e walking across the road, going downstairs etc.etc., so I had a series of tests and ultimately a pacemaker fitted because he said my h/r was going down too low and so on. Until this day I am still not sure what it was but it was the worst of experiences and thankfully, since the pacemaker, it has stopped however I still occasionally get pixilating vision and unrecognisable speech, I know what I am wanting to say but thats not what comes out lol. Frightening, told TIA's and blood meds changed but last stroke doc I saw said this was caused by stress migraines! I just don't know but thats why I asked what the definition was.

[CDreamer in reply to opal11uk]

Any sense disturbances can be caused by so many things so it was really good that you got checked out. They are often caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain along with cognitive dysfunction or brain fog. I had quite low sats with AF, before and after the ablations and it wasn’t until I got my sats up to staying above 95 for most of the time that the brain fog started to lift.

Stress is the cause of many ailments - but it literally is the cause - it’s not the doctor saying you are imagining it. Stress = inflammation = physiological changes in our body which causes physical symptoms.

That is why it is SO important to manage our stress long term and why meditation, Mindfulness, CBT, Yoga, Exercise, good sleep etc are so important as they reduce stress. Stress can be caused by physical trauma to the body and for sure an ablation and PM insertion will cause that. My surgery just called to say my CPR levels remain high which is inflammation marker in the blood which my surgery monitor. I know that I need to especially careful now to avoid illness and that any emotional or psychological stress will be sure to cause something.

[opal11uk in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you.....having lost almost 5 stone I am now back to playing table tennis, an exercise class and started Tai Chi, really happy with this as I just had my 75th birthday and I'm still here hehehe. Thanks again for taking the trouble to reply, much appreciated and good luck with your continued progress x

[Gowers in reply to opal11uk]

Those "whiteouts" must have been very frightening.

[opal11uk in reply to Gowers]

Yes they were, in fact I really thought that my days were limited and I was on my way lol, thankfully that was not the case but I have never been so scared in my life.

[Ridley60 in reply to CDreamer]

This was exactly my experience post Ablation in Jan 2014. Ocular Migraines for about a week and then only one or two since. I did have a history of migraines but they were few and far between.

The problem with migraines is their symptom are similar to TIAs and I as a precaution I took a couple of trips to A&E.

My EP said he’d not seen this before.

[F-M-C-MM in reply to CDreamer]

No cause for alarm if migraine aura lasts longer than a couple of days post ablation, mine lasted 6 months and stopped suddenly. No recurrence since and it's nearly two years since the ablation

[dragonflyjan in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks I got all those! I put the sore throat down to the tube they insert,the reflux down to going onto reflux causing anticoagulant, but was mystified by the return of migraine auras I hadn’t had for years.

[BobD Volunteer]

Follow the link then click Patient Resouces, then Fact Sheets and there is an alphabetical list.

[RiderontheStorm]

I had no issues or after effects except a PE (Pulmonary blood clot) that nearly killed me but I am told this was VERY rare. 7 hours under anesthesia I did not regain my full ability to articulate well for months. I had Mr. Trumps 40 word vocabulary for a few months. Not fun but it fixed me and I would do it all over again. I had a low probability of having to undergo the procedure again with no co morbilities to hinder the 80-85% success he factored in for me.

[SteveCairns in reply to RiderontheStorm]

7 hours for an Ablation ? Mine was 2 hours - had a cryo Ablation , what sought was yours

[RiderontheStorm in reply to SteveCairns]

Mine was a dual catheter ablation.

[Aprilbday in reply to RiderontheStorm]

So happy it all worked out!!!

[Euve in reply to RiderontheStorm]

That's a big complication do you feel if you we're on a blood thinner this would have not occurred? Thank you

[Euve]

Were you not on blood thinners?

[RiderontheStorm in reply to Euve]

I was for 6 weeks on Pradaxa. Did not work. After ablation was on warfarin and stuff that comes in needles already to use. 2 daily into the stomach.

[Aprilbday in reply to RiderontheStorm]

So sorry. Can you tell me how you know the Pradaxa did not work?

[RiderontheStorm in reply to Aprilbday]

Did not work because I developed a blood clot in the lungs. The whole reason for taking the BT before the procedure.

[MS444]

Fluoroscopy is commonly used to guide catheters and causes increased radiation exposure and very marginal increase in cancer risk. I’ve heard some labs don’t use it and that this is the way of the future. Also the puncture holes between the atria might remain open permanently. They reckon this is not a problem. Also you might have a discomfort in the groin at the catheter insertion site that never completely disappears. All of these are tolerable but none were explained to me. Also make sure they are using the latest technology catheters. These allow accurate control of the contact pressure of the catheters during the burning process. This presumably contributes to both safety and an optimum result (reliable ablation that minimises risk of reconnection). These are just my opinions. Ask a doctor.

[MarkS]

As stated above, phrenic nerve damage is one of the most common problems and is mitigated by having an experienced EP who has carried out hundreds of ablations. The other if a stroke or long term damage from micro-emboli (little bits) produced during the ablation which can lodge in the brain. To avoid this it's really important to remain continuously anti-coagulated - i.e. with warfarin or one of the NOACs and not stop on the morning of the procedure or bridge with heparin.