2nd Cardeovertion

[Spudly22]

My husband had his second Cardeovertion today

The first one lasted 3 months

Before this one he has been on 50mg Flecanaide x a day for four weeks

He had the Cardeovertion at 11 am or worked first attempt again and was discharged and by 4pm he had reverted back into AF! So soon not even 24hr

We will give the hospital a call tomorrow but I wondered if this was usual? And will they try again I wonder.. we had hoped with the new flecanaide tablets it would hold him in sinus but not to be

So disappointed 😔

[CDreamer]

It’s not at all unusual but indicates that treatment options may now be more limited.

My husband was in persistent AF and cardioverted purely to see if heart could return to NSR. After 3 attempts NSR lasted 7 secs but that was enough to indicate that his heart could be converted back to NSR so he was advised to take Amiodarone as ablation was not an option for him. Amiodarone is not a popular choice as it can have horrible side effects but thankfully he hasn’t suffered any and that worked to convert him back to NSR after about 3 months. He now takes a much lower daily dose which has kept in NSR for the last 2 years.

So 5 hours at least proves he can be treated and other options need to be discussed. 50mg Flec is a low dose so you would need to discuss with EP next options. Cardioversion rarely is a lasting solution for AF but does indicate Ablation or Amiodarone maybe possible option. Has that been discussed?

[Spudly22 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for your reply. The only thing that was discussed is abalation and if it would be a worth while option or to leave my husband in AF as he has no side effects at all in AF. It’s strange how he stayed in sinus for months past time but this time with the flec it lasted few hrs.

[CDreamer in reply to Spudly22]

AF is a very strange beast. If he is asymptomatic in AF and heart rate is controlled I’m not sure I would go for ablation but it depends on Lifestyle and Age and a very individual decision but know that ablation may also fail and for older people it can take a lot longer to recover from than some doctors will tell you. There is lots of information on the AFA website including Recovering from Ablation - written by patients not doctors who tell it as it is.

[Spudly22 in reply to CDreamer]

Cardiologist called today and said to try double rhe dose of flec from tonight and ecg next week. Let’s see what happens fingers crossed 🤞

[mav7 in reply to Spudly22]

Are his symptoms controlled, e.g., heart rate, etc ?

Good advice by CDreamer above.

[Spudly22 in reply to mav7]

Hello Yes all symptoms under control and he feels nothing! They also mentioned referring him to someone else … for the next steps … EP I guess whatever that person is .

Fingers crossed that the increased dosage of Flec may work

[CDreamer in reply to Spudly22]

EP = Electrophysiologist who will be a specialist cardiologist whose expertise is in arrhythmias. Always best to see the experts.

Cardiology has different branches of speciality - mainly:- structural, vascular, electrical (arrhythmias) and imaging - there may be more now but that’s my understanding.

I use analogy of a house - would you employ a plumber to fix your electrics? A general builder may be able to do all the jobs but for anything complex you need an expert with specialist skill sets.