Hi, Would anyone know, if there is a possibility of permanent heart muscle damage during a cardiac ablation for someone who has suffered from Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome with Af that could cause something more serious in the future and what tests would be needed to identify this problem if damage had occured ?
Thanks
I am not familiar with the work to ablate WPW Syndrome but I'm pretty sure this is done in the right side of the heart not the left as per ablations for Atrial Fibrillation. It is very unlikely that the actual heart muscle can be damaged beyond the surface scarring which is the whole purpose of the procedure. The main risk for any kind of catheter ablation is puncture of the heart wall and that would have been very obvious immediately so ignore that possibility.
Reading your other post on this subject I think that if breathing is difficult then the possibility of temporary damage to the phrenic nerves controlling the diapragm is more likely . This is a rare complication which can take many months to recover.
Thanks Bob, appreciate your reply.Since my procedure in early July Im still suffering daily with what I would class as serious life changing symptoms that I never had pre surgery and like to know why i feel worse post surgery, I don't feel any benefit post surgery, would just like some answers and often wonder if damage has been done during my surgery.
Hello Nomis. Could you list the changes that you feel since the CA.
I will ask Sandi who has had three CAs and is also a nurse and she might know more. Hope that you feel better since you posted. Saul
Hi, many thanks for your reply.I had pace and ablate due to having Wolff Parkinson White for many years.
I'm 51 yrs old and since the procedure last July I suffer terribly.
Chest discomfort, often feel short bouts of pain in the heart region, out of breath on exertion, feeling that my heart isn't pumping enough blood to the point that my legs won't carry me when walking, wheezing, erratic beats and flutters, bouts of dizzyness and lighthead.
Simple tasks like bending over, getting out of the bath, taking the dog for a walk make me tired and sweats.
Find it hard to get a decent sleep and have bouts of apnea.
I feel pressure in my head during bouts of exertion which I can only describe as a lack of blood flow feeling.
My chest feels restricted and heavy which I feel in the back of my throat.
Scary and frightening most of the time which I never suffered from before the surgery.
I have had echo cardiogram, ecgs and been to the pacing clinic and no issues have been identified.
Im at a loose end.
Hello Nomis,
Pace and Ablate:
"Permanent pacemaker implantation and AV node ablation, 'ablate and pace' therapy provides rapid relief of symptoms and improved quality of life. Patients remain in atrial fibrillation but have a regular heart rhythm and controlled rate and avoid potential side-effects of medications."
You didn't mention when this was done, and if it's recent? If the procedure was done recently, similar sensations are experienced after CA and a mini-maze procedure. Chest feeling constricted, breathlessness on even slight exertions, tiredness, sweating, etc.
Could you add what is your typical resting HR and BP and if it is varies wildly when you have the new symptoms.
Another thought is perhaps the heart rate is set too low/too high or is very different to what you were used to. It would help if you could mention what were your HR and BP before the procedure.
The good news is that the ECG and pacing clinic were all OK.
Try not to worry. We are so attuned to our hearts that every small change is amplified.
Saul
A lot of what you describe could, I would guess from reading the symptoms, be caused by anxiety magnifying many fold the changes your heart is having to become accustomed to. The problem is that heart issues and the effects of anxiety mirror one another all too well so always need a doctor's diagnosis with their personal experience of you as an individual and of others like you. My neighbour's sister, who must be in her late 70s, had a similar operation about a year ago and it really did take a long time for her to get back on an even keel but now she is fine and back to her old self.
Steve
Hi, something that strikes me is that it seems, going by the experience of others, that it is unusual to have pacemaker fitting and AV node ablation in a single procedure. Usually the pacemaker is inserted first and when running smoothly the AV node is ablated. It is possible for the AV ablation to fail in which case your symptoms won’t be alleviated. You should not be able to feel arrhythmias to a troubling degree. It sounds as if you might have had a pacemaker plus ‘normal’ ablation rather than AV node ablation but it’s unlikely you would be mistaken about that! But the symptoms are similar to those sometimes felt after AF ablation so it sounds as though you have some inflammation. I don’t think anxiety should be blamed, although you are entitled to be anxious, until all other explanations have been tested.
Another mad thought, if you are used to being a bit breathless you could have got into the habit of ‘overbreathing’ which would lead to too much carbon monoxide in your system giving your symptoms. You have all the symptoms of hyperventilation. There is plenty of advice re breathing exercises on here somewhere…..
Hi thanks for your reply, there was risks of av node ablation due to the extra nerve being so close to the av node, this was explained to me before the procedure.The damage occured when they attempted to ablate the nerve and because it was to close the my av node this got taken out too.
I woke up after 4 hrs in theatre with a surgeon finishing off my pacemaker insertion.
Pacemaker tuned in then released.
So, you had ablation, AV node damaged, AV node ablated, then pacemaker. That explains it all. You need to read our leaflet, ‘Recovering from an Ablation’ healthunlocked.com/afassoci...
which will explain what to expect in your recovery ❤️🩹
Yes, correct all in the same procedure, I just wonder how long the road is to feeling normal again, my surgery was early July and Im still suffering.No health professionals to this day has explained anything to what I should expect during the recovery process so many thanks for the link.
To ablate or not to ablate 
To ablate or not to ablate?
Is this phrenic nerve damage?
Does AF cause permanent damage to your heart?
Nerve damage: Hands and feet.
