Not sure about risking a re-do ablation at 77.

[Oscal]

I had a cryoablation in Dec 19 which was not the success I had hoped for My AF has not improved and the meds I take Flec and Bisoprolol are giving me side effects that aIre almost worse than the AF. I realise that this is beginning to sound like a" no brainer"but the truth is I hated the original procedure and the long wait (12 months) to see if it had been a success .I have been offered a re do RFAblation for July at Barts.Does any body know the success rate for my age group?Bottom line,I am scared of going through all this again if Its to no avail.I live alone .so the problems are all intensefied,IE aftercare etc,

[CDreamer]

Difficult one. The success rate has so many variables I think that’s best put to the Bart’s team.

I had 2 ablations, 2nd gave me 3 years free of AF then opted for Pace & Ablate but the Pacemaker worked so well I cancelled the AV ablation.

[Oscal in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks,thats helpful.Deep down I know I have to at least give it a go,and hope for the best.

[Hidden]

I know some might say age is just a number, but as the number increases, it becomes more important. Redo’s after a Cryoablation are very common (I had one) and more often than not, they are done under a general anaesthetic which means you feel nothing but recovery can take a wee bit longer. Generally the procedure is not long because they only treat the tissue missed by the expanding balloon but as CD says, best to be guided by Barts, they are experts in their field....

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I understand your concerns about being on your own during the recovery period and it’s difficult weighing up the benefits against the risks but from what you are suggesting, your current quality of life is not as good as it might be. If you are able to arrange food deliveries for a couple of weeks or so, based on my own experience I think you would benefit from a second attempt. I’m sure Barts would take full account of your personal circumstances and whilst there are obviously no guarantees, I doubt they would want to proceed unless they were confident that you would benefit. One thing that is absolutely sure, they are not going to be short of work!!

Hope everything goes well for you........

[Oscal in reply to Hidden]

Thanks again for taking the trouble to reply.At my age it's now about QOL and trying to maintain it.I will almost certainly have it done,as you rightly say there will be no shortage of willing patients and God knows when I might be offered the chance again.

[The_Lord_is_with_Us]

It's common knowledge among EP's and their staff that it often takes 2 ablations to finally get success. My first AFIB ablation failed after 9 months, so I jetted off again to San Francisco for a 2nd. That one gave me 10 glorious years of peace and normalcy.

The AFIB returned last year and I had another in OCT. The EP who performed this one is one of the best. He routinely operates on patients from teenagers to well into their 90's, with no problems, they told me. So, appears with that info .... you would be characterized as a 'youngster'.

Mine have all been RF. If you get a top EP to do it ... you should have successful outcome.

[Golfer60UK]

Good morning, I am 76 and have had two ablations, last one Sept 2020 which was successful until December when i began to notice a missed Heart Beat now and again. This has developed into Atrial flutter with a little AF thrown in. Next Friday I have a Pacemaker being fitted.

Overall I believe the benefits outweigh the negatives, so go for it

Best of luck

Dave

[Ducky2003]

I'm sure that Barts would not be offering the procedure if they didn't think it would offer some benefit as it's a costly process and with long lists. Best to have a chat with them about your concerns and what they think will be a good outcome. Best wishes.

[MydogBrandy]

Aww bless you I had my ablation when I was 70 and it was a great success, had it done in Leeds. I was on flecanide and bisoprolol for 14 years prior to the op and on nothing now for the heart at least. Good luck x

[Loquitir]

Dear Oscal

Not all ablations work first time and in fact some scar tissue can take up to 12 months to repair itself and the episodes reduce. For some people it’s a simple fix, with others multiple ablations create an incremental improvement and increase in quality of life to a manageable condition. My last ablation lasted 5 years and I have had 9 ablations in total. The technology is improving all the time.

I couldn’t tolerate flecanide at all when they put me on it 20 years ago. I’ve gone through all the pharmaceutical options but because I only suffer paroxysmal episodes now dronedarone and diltaziem work well for me. Some of the anti-arrhythmia tablets don’t work well at all if people have asthma type problems.

I would talk through your anxieties with your cardiologist and GP and ask about the range of different medications also.

Best of luck.

[sirey]

I had a cryo just over five years ago at Barts and so far it has been a success, apart from a few missed beats now and then. However if A.F. did return I certainly would ask to return to Barts for more treatment they are extremely knowledgeable. I wish you luck in the future.

[Oscal]

Thanks to all for your feedback.It has been both encouraging and informative.There is a lot that is relevant to my situation.Although I am 77 I dont feel or act it.I do Tai Chi and eat well,ex smoker for 25 years.I do drink socially but try and keep it sensible.I I have decided to go ahead with the 2nd ablation after the excellent response from your goodselves.I will let you know the outcome but any improvement will be a step forward,thanks again,Kevin

[Oscal in reply to Oscal]

As promised,here is an update and the outcome of my re-do Ablation last July.I had the procedure on the21st of July 2021 a day I would like to forget,but never will.It was performed at Barts.Put simply.it was a complete disaster!I suffered a perforation of the left pulmonary vein,resulting inpericardal tamponade,and had to have an emergency sternotomy.I came to in ICU on a ventilator.My nextof kin had been contacted in the night and warned to expect the worse.!I went on to develop pneumonia and had massive amounts of antibiotics for several days.I went on to develop post operative ileus and a peri-anal fistula developed.Things went from bad to worse thereafter and I ended up being transfered to The Royal London.The result was I had to have rectal surgery and am now fitted with a permanent colostomy bag,and all that goes with that .In all,I spent 6 weeks in hospital 4 of those in Barts ICU and high dependency wards.

Why is he telling us all this?I hear you ask.Well mainly to highlight that seemingly straight forward operations/procedures can go badly wrong .I have lost all confidence in hospitals and doctors and the final irony,as my ablation was aborted,it remains unresolved.

[bayonnejoe1]

I am so sorry beyond words to hear your situation. But thank you, thank you, for posting. Ablation is invasive. That alone should give pause. That it entails full sedation, particularly at an advanced age, should give further pause. Weighing benefit/risk is not a simple matter and the number of cautionary tales on these boards makes it an even more difficult decision. All too often, I hear, post ablation advice boil down to "give it more time" and "a second ablation often does the trick". For myself, in persistent AF and approaching 70, with good QOL, I've not had to choose, but frankly, thinking it won't oft be 'one and done', plus take up to a year of recovery, well, when I likely don't have all that many years left, might just determine my decision.

Again, my heart goes out to you. I hope things improve for you as you move forward.

[Oscal in reply to bayonnejoe1]

Thanks for your kind words.you are exactly right when you highlight age,qol,and other important issues before making the decision to proceed with an ablation.I myself was very undecided about it and even sought advice on this site,don't get me wrong I'm not blaming anyone,the final decision was mine alone to make.Ialmost cancelled at the last minute,oh how I wished I had listened to that little inner voice!like you my qol was good,my AF was manageable ,but the medication was problematic .So I went for it.Age is a key factor.Iwas in reasonable Nick before the ablation,but that has all changed and I now have far less options than before.One thing I do know I will not be having opting for any future invasive surgery unless it's out of my hands .Good luck to you,remember if it ain't broke,don't fix it.

any further surgeries unless there is no alternative