Just wondered how long people’s experiences were of the healing of the puncture site after an ablation.
Mine had a z stitch in after the procedure which was removed a few hours after.
Been just over 4 weeks now and am wondering if I am just being too optimistic!
I had no issues with any of mine in terms of leakage or anything like that although there was hard lump there for a few weeks. No pain unless I poked about on it! The bruise took a good month to completely fade away. Speak to your arrhythmia nurse if worried.
Thanks, Bob. The hole itself seems to be slow to heal. It got infected 3 weeks out and had antibiotics. Just finished those but still have a hole with a big black scab. Strangely enough did not get any bruising really! Will probably have a chat with the nurse but was checking if I was being a bit premature in the healing process and just got to be patient!
I would say you are very unlucky. This is the first such problem I have come across. I few people have issues with bits and pieces stuck together by scar tissue but not heard of a wound failing to heal before.
I think ‘unlucky’ is my middle name to be quite frank! The first node ablation failed on me.....success rate above 90%. So a second one had to be done under an emergency. ‘Could only happen to you’ was my mother’s words 🙄😊
Please tell me how your node ablation failed. We are talking AV node?
Yes. I returned to the ward and got hooked up to heart monitor. HR still at 148bpm and AF. Even though after doing the ablation in the lab, they waited 30 mins and were satisfied it had worked. They had to image my heart second time and said I was technically challenging as my heart was different physiologically; different in shape and position. Both times the EPs were extremely experienced and have a good reputation too.
So, because your heart rate was still high, the pacemaker didn't activate. I have never heard of an AV node ablation failing. Goodness.
A PM normally only prevents the heart going low and does not stop high heart rates so you would need heart rate reducing drugs as we’ll control the heart rate.
If you destroy the node so that your heart no longer can make the heart rate go fast then the PM controls completely the heart rate and stops it being too high/low. It is not competing with your own heart. Because my heart was between the two, the pacemaker was working but as the node was not fully destroyed, my own heart was working too so the heart rate could go high.
Now the node has been totally destroyed, I am 100% paced and depend on the PM. You do get left with a small amount of tissue that can beat if the PM fails but it would be about 40 bpm. Enough to keep you alive and get medical help. It sounds scary but in reality is a rare thing to happen.
Yes, it is rare for it to fail and I struggled to find any info at all. However, in a thread on here there was one chap who mentioned he had to have a second node ablation. That was the only other person I am aware of! So realistically very uncommon.
Crossing my fingers then for me on the 3rd!
Are you going for pace and ablate?
Yes. The pacemaker was implanted 2 months ago but it was a difficult one, so EP wanted to make sure that it was secure before proceeding with ablate.
I see. I am sure the odds are in your favour for it going smoothly. Ask for sedation if you feel nervous and I wish you every success in taking the next step back to a normal life. Let me know how you go on. Xx
I’m about 7 weeks out from my catheter insertion. It was healing fine but now I have a small hole near the “bump” and it continues to weep, not a lot of blood but enough so it doesn’t heal up. No pain but it needs to heal. Any suggestions?
I would get it checked out, if you have not already.
Mine ended up being a stitch left in so it would not heal. It was only when it looked like I had a small worm appearing that anyone realised and that was 7 weeks after the surgery.
When it was finally removed, everything healed up reasonably quickly. There was no way it would have done this without the stitch being removed.
I had that “worm” thing happen yesterday. Of course we’re on a two week camping trip! I’ll call my surgeon today and see what he thinks. Thanks so much sharing your experience.
The wound stopped hurting after about 7-19 days but there was a lump there, oh, there still is a tiny lump there 11 weeks later. No pain or swelling though. Hope that helps x
3 to 4 days from memory. I had 2 ablations in a month , both through the same groin site.
My wound only stopped weeping completely the morning after. Had to remove existing dressing and put new gauze on. Just had a big purple patch down a third of my inside leg which gradually disappeared. By 14 days it had gone. Had a lumpy bit on the incision site for about a week
Catheter ablation, or not?
Catheter Ablation recovery 
Advice on Afib after Catheter Ablation
Marks on chest after catheter ablation
