Useful leaflet about Pace and Ablate procedure

[Buffafly]

uhb.nhs.uk/Downloads/pdf/Pi...

[CDreamer]

That’s a good explanatory leaflet but I would just emphasise to anyone reading it that it is usual to have the pacemaker inserted prior to the AV node ablation, there is one paragraph that gave me the impression the AV node ablation is done before the PM is implanted.

I had PM implanted and then was scheduled to have the AV node ablation 6 weeks after the PM implant to ensure that everything had settled down and was working well before ablating the AV node - which is your heart’s natural pacemaker.

[Buffafly in reply to CDreamer]

I noticed that too, maybe they do it the other way round? What I particularly liked was the explanation that the AV node is modified to give a constant slow ventricular rate, as the idea that the heart won’t beat at all should the pacemaker or battery fail is what seems to panic people most.

[Buffafly in reply to Buffafly]

PS I had to check this out, but in fact the Sinoatrial (Sinus) Node is the natural pacemaker, while the Atrioventricular Node is the relay station / gatekeeper of the impulses coming from the SN or in the case of AF/Flutter the atria. For a while I thought it was the Sinus Node that was ablated but I’ve got my anatomy right now.