Ablation

[Qbertbear50]

I am thinking of having an ablation, what is the percentage rate of it working?

[BobD Volunteer]

You would have to ask your EP that question. Skill and frequency are important.

It also depends on what type of ablation Cryo or RF for example and how complex your own AF happens to be.

In other words how long is a piece of string.

Some say 70%-80% but this may need more than one procedure. I have been AF free since 2008 after three RF ablations.

[Hidden]

Welcome to the forum, interesting question, impossible to give a realistic answer because there are so many variables. If you have seen a specialist who has suggested that an ablation is the best route for you then he/she is really the only person who can make a realistic assessment.

If I was to list all the different factors which would influence the results, I would be up all night (10 pm here) and you would be asleep by the time you got to the bottom of page 1. Here in the UK, an EP generally only offers an ablation if he is reasonably confident that the patient will benefit and this is largely because our healthcare system appears to be very different to the American system. Hopefully someone who has more knowledge about how things work over there will respond soon…..

[Ppiman]

If your AF is making life difficult or is in some way weakening the heart's output, despite medication, I would try an ablation, for sure. The chances of success are quite high (60-80%, I think), although the need for a second in a few years also seems quite high.

My son's friend is 76 and he has had five ablations over, I think, twenty years or so. His AF has just returned, and he thinks he can't have any further ablations now. He's fine, though. My own, rather elderly friend (now 88 years old), has never had an ablation and has had permanent AF for very many years. I think it limits his activities just a little but he himself says he never really notices it (his heart rate is in the normal range).

Steve

[Dodie117]

Worked for me. 9 years later still largely free of af and meds (except anticoagulant). Changed my life 😁

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Dodie117]

May I ask where and who did your ablation Dodie?

[Dodie117]

Mark O’Neill in St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Dodie117]

I've heard good reports about him recently. Long may you be AF free.

[Dodie117 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

👍 thanks

[KMRobbo]

Depends on your own situation.

I was quite fit and had no co- morbitities and was 57.5 years old when I had mine.

My EP advised a 70% success rate for the cryo ablation but I actually believe this is some sort of national statistic. However he suggested I was a good candidate for success. So I took that as more important. Ask your EP. Expect 70% but you may learn something else from his/her answer.

There are some risks with an ablation. Be prepared to hear those.

In general they are quite small. I did nor worry about them at all. I was really keen to get rid of the drugs and the inconvenience of getting an afib attack when out somewhere.

Also if the ablation is not 100% succesful, it may not be a disaster as a " touch up" on a second ablation could be succesful. Again ask your EP.

Assuming you are a good candidate then In terms of success rates , rather think that not having an ablation is a 100% failure to fix the AFib, and 30% chance of failure with an ablation then looks very good!

I have not had AFib since the ablation 4.5 years ago and have not taken ANY drugs since May 15 2018. ( except a few of paracetamol).

I have refused other drugs for other issues I have developed since the ablation, just happy to be drug side effect free!

Best wishes whatever you decide.

[Ducky2003]

I was told 60-70% chance of success but mine didn't work. Was offered another as a hybrid procedure but then the discovery of a mitral valve repair being required, scuppered that. Surgeon advised a Cox IV maze would be done at the same time with a success rate of 70%. When I queried this, expecting it to be much higher than an ablation, the surgeon said, in his experience, EPs tend to over estimate the % for ablations and looking at my history, he would have put my % of success for a first ablation at more like 20%.Seems to depend on who you speak to but as someone else said, doing nothing means 100% no success. 😊.

[Singwell in reply to Ducky2003]

Well put!

[Coco51 in reply to Ducky2003]

Might I ask what it was about your history that led the surgeon to suggest it might mean only a 20% chance of success for a first ablation? It's useful to know this kind of thing. And if the Cox Maze did the trick?

[Ducky2003 in reply to Coco51]

Haven't had the surgery yet. On the waiting list.I'm guessing his 20% was because my AF had become difficult to control a few months before the ablation and that's why they bumped me up the list. Also, the valve was showing signs of issues when they did the ablation so that would have been a contributory factor as well, regarding the success of the ablation.

The AF had caused my left atrium to enlarge which has distorted the annulus around the valve. This is why, when you're told AF isn't life threatening, I chime in with, yes but the conditions it can cause may be.

[Coco51 in reply to Ducky2003]

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. That would certainly reduce the chances of success. I hope the surgery works. On the last point about conditions AF can provoke, you are certainly right about that! Good luck.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Coco51]

Thanks. I've got everything crossed as well.😊.

[MoyB]

I don't know the answer to you question but what I do know is that I already feel better than I did before my ablation which was on July 6th. - 10 days ago.

The improvements could prove to be coincidental, so I'm keeping an open mind but so far I am not so breathless and my feet and legs are not so swollen. Given the heat we have had this week, they would normally have been much more swollen than they are now.

It's very early days for me and it could simply be that I am experiencing ongoing improvements in my respiratory conditions following treatment with the right antibiotic to zap the bugs a couple of months ago.

My 02 sats have been in the high 90s (usually, 94% is good but am often 92% or lower) and my pulse rate is staying steady at around 90 bpm. I was told to expect some arrhythmia during the 'blanking period' and I have had one or two instances where there's been a sudden rise to 120, but its lasted just long enough for me to pop the oximeter on my finger to see the number and then it's dropped back to 88 or 90 again.

I like to think that at least some of the improvement is down to the ablation procedure but I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

I was very hesitant about having it done, wondering if I really needed it. My GP advised me that it would be a good thing to do, given my worsening symptoms, and I'm so glad that she did as I began to feel better just two days after the procedure.

As for the procedure itself, it was no more unpleasant or uncomfortable than my last visit to the dental hygienist who 'sandblasted' my teeth to clean them! I did have an unusual side effect from the procedure which was very bad tooth and jaw ache (pain in all of my teeth and my lower jaw). It was thought to be due to referred pain from the heart and, fortunately, it went again fairly quickly.

Best wishes, xx Moy

[RussJun55]

Here is a link to a recent U.S. study of success rates that may be helpful. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/352... Clearly averages have limitations and much depends on patient age, type of AF, underlying conditions, etc, Just to add that around here, hospitals don't seem to be very keen on doing the procedure unless combined with a pacemaker. Typically many do offer the mini maze procedure.

[Coco51]

If you have persistent AF, as I understand it, the chances of eliminating AF for 5 years is lower than for Paroxysmal AF. I was quoted 40-50% for persistent AF. Then up to 80% with a second procedure.

As a result some EPs now advocate a more radical ablation (rather than just a PVI) for the first procedure to eliminate the need for repeats. Others prefer to take it in stages. It would be good to know where yours stands on this spectrum.