AF Convergant Ablation (Apparently new procedure)

[Marley_Me]

On the list for this procedure that is apparently newish,anybody out there had it recently?

I’m 47 and ran and kept very fit since the age of 10 and to be going through all this can on occasions be a little upsetting!

[bmand]

What is it?

[wilsond]

Hi

No I haven't but can you give some more information please?

[Marley_Me]

From my understanding from my recent cardiologist appointment it is a relatively new procedure where they create a small incision under the sternum and then ablate (burn) the rear wall of the heart.

There is then a recovery period and you then return for a Catheter Ablation that goes in through your groin, up the artery and then ablate the inside wall of the heart.

My understanding of it anyway!?!?

[bmand]

What you are describing that is the Catheter Ablation is what is normally done. What is the purpose of the new procedure. Does it improve the Catheter Ablation results? What is the name of the new procedure?

[Marley_Me in reply to bmand]

New procedure is CONVERGANT ABLATION.

Basically gives the surgeon the ability to use larger, more effective instruments!

[bmand]

here check this out wakemed.org/heart-vascular-...

[johnMiosh]

Convergent ablation usually means that a cardio-thoracic surgeon will ablate the outside of the heart through small incisions in the chest wall (mini-maze)and an EP ablates the inside of the heart as part of the same procedure. The mini-maze also blocks the Left Atrial appendage which is the main area of blood pooling that leads to clot formation. I had something similar except the two parts of mine were completed six months apart, which actually makes it a hybrid ablation.

The mini-maze part of it required a three day hospital stay followed by two weeks of slow recovery; i felt like I'd been hit by a truck. The catheter ablation in comparison left me unaffected and I felt guilty taking ten days off work.

Supposedly, this has a higher success rate than just catheter ablation and it has certainly worked for me (so far over two years without AF, drug free apart from the first three months) and the others that were on the same trial have had similar results.

Search my earlier posts for the full gory details.

[Marley_Me in reply to johnMiosh]

That’s brilliant news John and judging by your picture your doing great!

So are you saying you stayed in longer than one night as I think my surgeon said one night?

[johnMiosh]

The picture is an old one. I have been back on the velodrome, but not for racing.

For the mini-maze I was admitted to hospital the night before for an early start and was in for three nights. For the catheter ablation, they had intended to let me go the same day, but were unable to find an ultrasound operator to do the echocardiogram, so I had to wait until the next day.

[dave205]

My electrophysiologist has been doing this procedure for 5 years.

news.emory.edu/stories/2015...