Cardioversion doesn't work ?

[sandoval22]

I am new to afib (4 weeks) and I'm awaiting cardioversion but I keep reading it doesn't work. No doubt I will take my chances that I'm an exception but assuming it doesn't the next question is does ablation work? I'm hoping something works because I'm out of breath just doing the shopping. I can't take beta blockers because my BP is fine , it's only my heart rate that isn't and beta blockers haven't touched it. Taking apixaban for blood thinning.

[jeanjeannie50]

Cardioversions certainly work for me and I've had quite a few.

You must take care after having one, not to do anything too energetic for a few weeks and allow you heart to gain strength in it's correct rhythm.

I once had one and then the next day walked up a very steep hill and my heart immediately went back out of rhythm.

Jean

[Deb1838 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Jean was going to post later but I am going to rudely jump in here.

As it looks like I am going to need a cardioversion will I need time off work afterwards or will I be able to go back to work after.

Have you ever been aware of it or are you completely out of it

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Deb1838]

It depends on what type of work you do and if it involves lifting or exerting yourself . If it doesn't then I'd say perhaps a couple of days. You usually have a general anaesthetic and are not allowed to drive anyway for 24 hrs. I'd ask the AF nurses for advice for how long if you do have an energetic job, as not had one of those myself. As a retired person now, I'd take it easy and not do anything that requires exertion for a couple of weeks. I've been told today that as the cardioversion unit is so busy right now it will probably be early October before I have mine. I've asked to go on the cancellation list.

[Deb1838 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you Jean reason I asked was because occupational health said I would need some time off and I hadn’t thought about it.

Sorry to hear about your wait, I dread to think what it will be here, I think it is about 3 month wait to see cardiac team.

[Hidden]

It’s not always made clear Sandoval, but a cardioversion is part of the treatment process. Whilst it’s true the rarely work for ever, particularly in older patients, if the work, even for a short period, it is an indication that an ablation (or two, or three) is more likely to control symptoms than otherwise might be the case. As Jean says, you need to try and stay relaxed because the procedure is no where near as unpleasant as it sounds, you will be drinking tea and eating biscuits before you know it. Take it easy for as long as possible after the procedure to give your heart time to stabilise. You need to bear in mind that a cardioversion does not alter or change it’s structure therefore whatever may have caused you to go into AF can still occur. So avoid all the naughty but nice things such as alcohol, caffeine and excessive exercise or anything else which you may think could be a trigger.

If you have been prescribed anticoagulants, it’s vital that you do not miss any doses during the 4 weeks before the cardioversion because they are likely to postpone the procedure. Good luck, let us know how you get on.....

[Hidden]

I had a cardioversion in January this year. Been in NSR ever since.

You gotta have faith 🎵🎵

[Ianc2]

suggest you add regular gentle exercise e.g. an hours walk on a flat path every day to improve your muscle tone, and dump as much hidden or added sugar as you can. If you are a bit overweight try and lose the excess. Have a look at your diet and check out the Mediterranean diet, dump the cakes and biscuits, etc. Some people stop alcohol and coffee.

If you can get yourself into shape before you press the reset button process you might improve your chances of it being successful?

[beardy_chris]

I think cardioversions usually 'work' - the problem is how long they 'work' for - they can 'work' for anything from seconds to years. They aren't usually a permanent cure though - unfortunately, there aren't really any permanent cures for AF.

[Pollywaffle10]

Cardioversion works well for some people, especially if the AF is a recent occurrence.

But often it doesn’t stay in rhythm permanently, and ablation is then considered. Flecainide can be used to keep good rhythm, your cardiologist is best person to talk to.

[Hidden]

Give this a try:

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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

PS – there is a new study out backing up the above observations. You can see it at

cardiab.biomedcentral.com/a...