I hadn’t had any episodes of AF since October 2021 until - flying for the first time since covid but had had a 20hr day and it went after sleeping. I’ve massive stress, an inquest for my brothers death postponed till end April - yes next week, hospital negligence. Having to read thousands of reports.
I went on a residential course and had to return late In the evening due to A fib. It went in a couple of days only to return early hrs if last Wednesday, and I still have it 😵💫
GP keeps saying cardio versions don’t work! 😡 Really fed up with this GP, all he does is talk over me and denies generic drugs are different 😳
I’m having to pay to see a consultant cardiologist and recently MRI and Cardiogram Plus consultation fees. Said Gp say oh you can claim on insurance😡 we can’t as we have an excess. I’m getting nothing out of the NHS and haven’t for years.
Hiw successful are cardio versions?
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LaceyLady
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I have had 11 cardioversions. They have all been successful with just one shock. I’m in permanent AFIB now and can’t have anymore as I have 3 blood clots. I could go from anywhere to 6 months or over 3 years in between episodes xxxx
My first two cardioversions lasted 10 years each. Some don't last more than a few hours. Maybe your GP's crystal ball needs cleaning 😀
So I would press for a cardioversion. Then find out if you're qualfied for a pill in pocket approach (PIP) with a drug like flecainide. That way, if you go into afib again, you won't need the cattle prods, just take a pill or two. If that doesn't work, then you can try daily anti-arrythmics. There is also catheter ablation. An electrophysiologist (ep) is the one you should be discussing all this with, not someone with a crystal ball.
Mmmm, currently upped the Flec to 150mg x2 actually taking Bisoprolol 1:25mg everyday instead of ever other. Hate it, makes me bradycardia 😡 AND - still in ruddy A Fib.
Cold showers, no good, exercise/ no good.
No doubt I will have to pay for the cardio version IF I can persuade the consultant 🤷🏼♀️
Ahh. The devil is in the details so maybe the crystal ball is shiny. Given your relatively high dose of daily flecainide, you could definitely try a cardioversion, but given your more detailed history, it might not hold. Have you had or been offered a catheter ablation? Might be the next step.
have you tried going into a&e and suggesting they give you one . Make sure you choose a week day. When I went in with fast AF they were going to cardiovert me ( the cardiology reg came down to a&e) I was admitted but went back to NSR. Is there another GP practice you could move to? I changed, best thing I could have done
sadly there isn’t much choice where I am to change surgeries. It’s the only one till next village and they wouldn’t take outsiders. Getting a&e to do anything pigs’d fly. GP said they wouldn’t bother with me 🤷🏼♀️
my lady GP went on maternity leave and I don’t know if and when she’ll come back. This Dr is of a certain nationality of which we have 3 and same character 😤 Only this one is loud and I can’t get a word in edgeways which amuses husband🙄
I have a consultant cardiologist appointment Tuesday to look at the MRI, and Cardiogram but this A Fibs kicked off early Wednesday morning and won’t go😢
I had my first cardioversion after having been in hospital with a high heart rate for a week and cardiologist looking after me and his friend (don't know what he was, but he came in especially to help on a Saturday morning). I thought it might be done in a theatre or somewhere special, but no at first they discussed doing it at my hospital bed and then wheeled my bed into a side room. It's just like being defibrillated with one of the machines that are in all schools and libraries, but I think they have more things to hand, there was a cylinder of something like oxygen. They kept saying have we got this that and the other. I can tell you I was extremely worried and regretted saying yes to having it, but afterwards I was back in normal rhythm and it was wonderful! Have had many others since.
Your GP is ill-informed Lacey, and not the only one. I was told the same by my GP and by several other people. Like Jim, mine was very successful, lasting over 7 years in my case. Had a second cardioversion last year when AF returned, and so far so good.
Like you, when AF returned, it was due to stress. I suddenly completely lost the sight in my right eye, and getting help was difficult due to covid. The consultant I saw privately read it totally wrong, and it wasn't until I saw the right man at Moorfields in London on the NHS that my sight was restored using bucket-loads of steroids over 3 months. Now back to perfect sight that I've never before appreciated so much.
I'd been terrified of losing the sight in the other eye to leave me completely blind and getting by with a couple of hours sleep each night.
Obviously, I don't know whether an ablation would have lasted still longer, but cardioversion is quick with minimal risks or after-effects.
Hi, my brother had undiagnosed afib and a stroke. He has lost left periferal vision but nobody seems to do anything to help him. Should he pay to see someone do you think?
I would pay or see if you can get an appointment at Moorfields NHS. A friend of mine had wet macular degeneration. Our county hospital would have let her go blind, she only had sight in that eye! It was against her principles but went and got some treatment and they had them instructed our county hospital what they should do.
What was the cause of your loss of vision? My husband had an occlusion in his right eye some years ago. He lost most but not all the vision in it. The consultant he saw basically said there was no treatment and it had had it! But this has turned out not to be true and slowly he has recovered some of his sight.
Short version, I’m a photographer, lace maker, embroiderer and want reasonable vision so not have to use glasses for photography mainly. Consultants top consultant at Moorfields Private. Put in defective multifocal lenses, calcification! Lasered making issues worse. One replaced, but has some calcification and original one calcified even more up to the pupil!! Can’t sue anyone and any further treatment will have to be self funded!!
Glad to hear you had a resolution to your eye problem. I know from personal experience that they are one of the best, if not the best in this country and would recommend anyone in the London area to press for a referral to them for any eye problem.
My debacle was done by top Moorfields’Private’ surgeon who was a surgeon at the NHS. He has conveniently retired and I now have no one I trust to go to. Anyone is only as good as their scruples.
I've had a grand total of 23 dc cardioversions over almost 30 years and all have been successful. A couple have lasted 3/5 years, many 12 months or so . My last one was 16 months after ablation no 4 in November 2022 so I'm 5 months clear as I speak !
I did not have to wait for any of mine as I was very symptomatic with high rate not responding to drugs. Most were performed in theatre , cath lab or A&E .
It sounds like you are very unlucky with your GP. All the GPs at my practice are first rate and have an excellent hospital close at hand. I had to self fund hip replacement operation last year as the waiting list was years long but that seems to be universal.
I had a cardioversion at the end of March. I needed 3 shocks, and sinus rhythm lasted less than 24 hours. My late husband had one which lasted more than 3 years, until his death from a non cardiac cause.I'm now on a waiting list for a catheter ablation.
All this action happened because I was admitted to cardiac care from A & E as they couldn't get my high heart rate down. I had an infection which sent it up, and had/have been in constant AF since early December.
Cardioversion as far as I know is 90%+ successful.
I was in a group of about 12 people who underwent a CV and only 1 was unsuccessful.
The problem is in many cases (but not all) it is not a permanent cure.
Mine lasted for 3 months, I had a stressful period and went back into AF.
Stress is a BIG trigger for AF!
I'm now on flecainide and have been AF free for 3 years.
Good luck
CV’s success rates vary enormously, so in truth, it’s hardly worth making comparisons with other people because it’s not going to help determine how it might affect you. That said, for what it’s worth, my one and only (so far) CV lasted almost a year. The primary reason for having a CV is that it’s part of a treatment plan for a patient with persistent AF to see if they can be reverted back to normal sinus rhythm. It is almost inevitable that at some time, AF will return but provided the patient felt better in NSR, it indicates that further treatment (ie an ablation) is more likely to be successful). Not surprisingly, some are nervous about pursuing the ablation route but are happier to have several CV’s because the risks are deemed to be lower……..I suggest you consider changing your GP.
I understand but I think it’s all down to what is meant by “does it work”. In terms of being used as part of a treatment plan, if it only works for minutes, it has satisfied the criteria needed to consider further treatment such as an ablation. If used as a means of treatment in its own right, whether it’s worked or not is a judgment made by the patient but it will rarely last longer than a year. This is because unlike an ablation, nothing is done to prevent the rogue electrical impulses which cause AF from recurring, the heart is effectively rebooted but the underlying causes for AF remain unchanged. So whether it works or not is really down to an individual’s interpretation.
This is why a CV is not seen as a cure but because the body is a very complex machine, there will always be exceptions…….but still consider changing your GP😉
I had a cardioversion 5 years ago shortly after diagnosis with AF. I went for a six-monthly check up , the Cardiologists found I was in AF, admitted me there and then, and performed the Cardioversion that afternoon, one shock was all it needed. Granted, my PAF is largely symptomless, it is familial and was diagnosed by chance, but since then I have a few AF events (I only know they are happening because my HR increases, but the 1,25mg of Biso I take daily keeps it under control) They last for last for a very short period. In my case the treatment is worse than the disease, as the Biso tends to make me want to take an afternoon nap, but I suppose that is acceptable as I am eighty and retired and I do tend to stay up late if I get engrossed in a TV thriller ! In essence I would say my cardioversion was very successful. At every one of my subsequent annual check-ups with the Cardiologist, I have been in NSR
I’ve had countless cardio versions they have all worked for anywhere from 18months to 2 months. No cath lab just wheel a contraption up to your bed, put freezing cold pads front and back, doze off and wake up back in beautifully nsr. A&E will do too if already on anticoagulants or if onset was less then 36hr protocol is 48hr but here they tend to err on the side of caution. Think it’s time to stamp your feet we it’s the gp.
I commiserate re your experience with yor Gp. They are all working very hard in a very demanding job. The NHS generally is in a mess. However you want the best for yourself during these difficult times. You frustration is understandable.My health has deteriorated over the last 6 months. I now have diagnoses of paf and CA of prostrate. During this 6 months I have found it almost impossible to see my Gp. He had suggested that I wait 2 months before I have a PSA He also suggested that there would be a long wait to see a Urologist. Ipaid privately and saw one the next day. After various investigation I now no that I have a low grade cancer that does not require current treatment
In respect to the afib I informed my Gp that my BP was labile, I had palpitations with an arrhythmia plus some falls. I was offered a Gp appointment 3 weeks later. I was not actually informed of this appointment. I found it by accident on the NHS app. It was a telephone appointment.
In the interim I went into afib for 14 hours. I went ED and received good treatment. When my GP did ring me I informed him of the above, he apologised and talked about long hours and stress. It is to his credit that he made an apology.
Insummary I feel that the money was well spent on private treatment and I would do the same again.
All the GPs in my surgery are part timers! My named GP has weeks off at a time, no where in corporate business would that be allowed. There are those who are dedicated and caring and I feel sorry for them.
I have had NO support or help from anyone except my husband in the past week.
In fact, said GP routinely tell me to fund my own care😡 Which we have over many years, even a partial replacement knee!
I only had one and it worked from 2013 for quite a few years, but as I have Atrial Flutter I'm having a Ablation in 3 weeks time, good luck, ps I was referred by A E for Ablation and put on list to see cardiologist, but I couldn't wait so paid 280 to see one about 5 weeks ago he was excellent, well worth the money he must have put me on urgent list, good luck
I had one in April of 2020 and it was successful. I then had open heart surgery in August of 2021to take care of some valve issues. I was still in NSR. I think the size of the left atrium has something to do with the success rate, from what I was told.
Sorry to jump on this but I've now got to have a mitral valve repair due to the AF enlarging my left atrium. How are you doing after the surgery as the thought scares the poop out of me.
I'm doing well. NSR, no afib. I had mitral and aortic valve repair, as I also had a enlarged atrium and left ventricle, which was contributing to the afib. Two weeks after my surgery I had an ultrasound, and both were back to normal size, and still are today. I wish you well on your surgery. You will do fine, and you will be glad you had it. I could have waited several years, but my surgeon said the results wouldn't be as good. My surgery was done at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota
Great to hear you are doing well and long may it continue. I'm in the UK and have been told sooner is better than later. I'm fortunate to have no symptoms at the moment and have been back in nsr for a year following a DCCV last April. Surgeon is hoping to do a Cox IV Maze at the same time, which will hopefully stop any further AF.Thank you for the reply and best wishes to you.😊.
I’m sorry to hear that 💗🙏🏼 I’ve had an MRI on liver, kidneys and pancreas because I’ve compound Haemochromatosis, inherited blood disorder. And also a Cardiogram. Waiting for results.
Thanks. This health mularky is no fun when it goes pear shaped eh? I hate MRIs as I get claustrophobic and the cardiac one I had in Jan was for an hour with a contraption on my chest at the same time. Hope that your tests come back ok and that you can find a decent GP.
Depends on one’s definition of success. I’ve have five ablations and six cardioversions over the past eleven years. The ablations lasted from 1-5 years; the cardioversions from 1-12 months. My EP considers them a band-aid. But then the ablations haven’t been “the cure” either!
I've had about 7 in the last 7 years and they've lasted from 4 days to a couple of years. Last one was 12 months ago. They are really just a stop gap until you can get a more definitive treatment.If I were you, if you're still in AF, I'd go to A&E after this length of time so they can try and get you back into nsr either chemically or by DCCV.......... and maybe change you're GP if you are able to. He sounds like an idiot.
Yes they can be successful. Better still if they work they can sign post the way to other treatments/procedures such as ablation which may be even better for you.
I wasn't given after stroke with AF because 4 days a Carotid Artery showed Papillary Carcinoma right lobe Thyroid but later my new Team saw tiny bit in left. Surgeon assessed and as his anaesthetist partner had it spread to lymphs and more he took all 12 right lymph nodes.
So I was not ready to have cardioversion. Its trying to shock the heart to normal rhythm.
It can allow you to have a break from AF for a number of hours or days.
I expect it depends why you have AF in the first place, thyroid, stress, genes, over exercise, high blood pressure or food etc.
Listen to your Dr but have a 2nd opinion Dr.
But I must say that a recommended private Heart Specialist made the control of H/Rate a breeze. BBs didn't.
So I'm happy on CCB Diltiazem 120mg AM and 2.5 Bisoprolol PM.
Cardiologist changed meds to Dronedarone 400mg x2. Takes a while to settle I believe. Sick to death of male GP and kicked him into touch, thank god my lady GP has come back and I’ve changed back, sadly have to wait till 13th. Right unbelievable saga trying to get the republics tests meaning long unproductive waits, so written complaint to practice manager😳 waiting reply.
I have genetic blood disorder that is more than likely causing heart and diabetes issues and having hells own job trying to get medical lot to put all my body parts together 😤
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cardioversions and af
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Ablation time frame - diagnosis to procedure 
Successful Cardioversion 
