Hi all. I was diagnosed lone Af about 6 years ago. It comes and goes Get an episode every couple of months used to last about 48 hours but now I take 100mg flecanide as a pip and it goes in an hour.
Met my ep at Xmas time he said an ablation will be perfect for me and put me on the list. May take 12 months to get an appointment he said. He said I’ll have the freeze type. He didn’t mention the burn type. I wonder which is the Safest and best ? Cheers
My EP said freeze as first ablation best. Mine was fine!
Thanks. Got a telephone call from a nurse today. To tell me about anticoagulant. Don’t know why. The ablation won’t be till November/December the ep said
My ablation last November was offered very quickly, but between lock downs. I guess the waiting lists have grown. Whereabouts are you? I had just a few episodes of AF, 4 then a four year gap then 3, weekly, intense but only for 8 hours, vagal triggers. Seems to have worked!
Coventry university hospital
In terms of safest I don’t think there is much difference. As far as best is concerned, it depends on individual circumstances. The general thinking is that the rogue impulses which cause AF are mainly created around the 4 pulmonary veins. An expanding balloon is used to freeze and scar the tissue around the veins thereby stopping the impulses. It is generally a much quicker process than burning the tissue with the tip of a catheter, so some might say it is slightly safer. Very often, a Cryoablation (freeze) is carried out under sedation whereas with a Radio Frequency (RF) ablation, a general anaesthetic is used.
With a Cryoablation, if there are any irregularities around the pulmonary veins, the balloon might not make contact with all of the tissue, therefore a second RF ablation is needed to touch up any missed bits but that is generally a much quicker procedure than having it all done that way. It is therefore very common to have a Cryoablation first. Hope this helps.....
It does. Thankyou. My ep said it will only take an hour to do the ablation.
In that case it is cryo balloon. You need to be anticoagulated for some time prior to and post the ablation so best get started asap in case you get a slot due to a last minute cancellation.
Cheers. I’m not 100% sure I want the ablation though yet ? I’ve been Af free for 4 months now. Would you just have a flecanide as a pip ?
Best to decide based on how the episodes affect quality of life. I haven’t gone for ablation but if I felt my AF was affecting me badly then I would. I had some bad non af tachycardia when thyroid was declining and if that had continued I would have considered intervention as it was so debilitating. I think you’ll know whether it’s good for you or not
It’s amazing what you pick up when you belong to a vibrant Support Group, ain’t it rosyG 😉
I don’t know how old you are but my EP said that it was unlikely to go away, and maybe better to have the ablation, he considers episodes to be a stress on the heart so best avoid them. But if you have had nothing for 4 months maybe you want to wait, maybe a long long gap or another episode pushes your decision along...
I’m a fit and healthy 50 (hopefully )
In that case you would be facing maybe 40 years of medication and episodes so nipping it in the bud at this stage seems a good idea.
Your right Just really worried about complications. Why do patients need to be on abixapan before and after for a few weeks ?
I was very much like you. Very fit runner and triathlete, Afib was awful when it happened especially at the start, but after starting with magnesium I’ve had long gaps between episodes. I agonised long and hard about ablation. I also didn’t like the idea of taking anti coagulants prior to the procedure as I am a drug free zone! Anyway I eventually had the ablation 11 days ago. I won’t share my outcome just now as it’s early days and I’m not in a happy place. But I will when more time has passed. I would say ... follow your heart in making a decision. From my research,there is so much contradictory evidence and everyone’s situation is different. Good luck
I totally agree with Tridye 'follow your heart' - as you will never know before or after whether you have taken the right decision because we can't run both outcomes alongside each other.
Especially at your relatively young age, fitness and tie to life's pressures in the 50's the EP offer to get this fixed in one procedure is a tempting one but as you know this comes with risk & possibly not the right outcome. If you can devote the time and have the patience/interest I would (whilst still on the ablation waiting list) work hard at identifying episode triggers and making lifestyle changes (as often discussed here) accordingly. This could benefit you more than just on AF. You can then review your decision prior to going in for the ablation.
The above is based on having AF twice a week at 60yo, turning down an ablation offer, stopping AF on Flecainide and working hard on lifestyle changes in the subsequent 7 year AF free period.
Ablation Done & Dusted.
Update post ablation
HEART ABLATION...SUCCESS OR FAILURE
