heart attack after ablation

[alyvonne]

I had an AF ablation last Monday. During the night I had an heart attack. Heart burn and then chest pain . The blood test and ecg gave positive results . The doctor on duty was on the ball giving me all the medication needed. After test next day it seam no damage to my heart. My question is has anyone else had an heart attack after ablation.

[SeanJax]

the real question is what is the next step to follow. Stent or bypass and life style changes and manage and control the risk factors shared by both CAD and Afib. Did you really have a myocardial infarction or just STEMI episode? Please see with both the plumber and electrician. You might need both anti platelets and anticoagulant treatment combined. Still can be managed and controlled both conditions.

[alyvonne in reply to SeanJax]

Thank you for your reply. I am on anticoagulants.

[SeanJax in reply to alyvonne]

why replying to your post in a hurry I asked you if you have a myocardial infarction or just a non STEMI ( acute coronary syndrome )episode. If a non STEMI episode stent or CABG can be performed. Both CAD and Afib are progressive and one progresses the other and CAD is one of the main cause of Afib. I already posted in the past this topic. I called it double trouble when we have both conditions. Whatever it can still be managed and controlled. As you described in your post it seemed you got only an acute coronary syndrome brought under control pretty quickly or else they would have done a stent on the fly. Best wishes.

[alyvonne in reply to SeanJax]

I have not be told what is was only from doctors saying it was definitely a heart attack. I am now waiting for further appointments with cardiology and also AF consultant. They also found I had a problem with aortic valve, which will have to be addressed at some time. ( I went in hospital quite well😂) Thank you so much for your replies.

[baba in reply to SeanJax]

"just STEMI episode"?

STEMI is a serious heart attack.

[Ewloe in reply to SeanJax]

STEMI is also known as the widow maker!!! Or in my case it was nearly the widower maker.

[Hidden in reply to SeanJax]

STEMI is a type of myocardial infaction (heart attack).

[BobD Volunteer]

No but I did have a cardiac arrest (PEA--look it up) during a cardioverson which left me with broken ribs and a world of pain. CPR does that! Worth it though despite long recovery. lol 😁

[Elizka in reply to BobD]

After an ablation?

[Ablation7 in reply to BobD]

pretty scary!

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Ablation7]

Not really since I wasn't there at the time. Away with the fairies. As I said to my GP when she said the same, It was somebody elses "OH SH*T!" moment. I began to realise maybe they thought I was quite ill as I was second bed from the nurses station and the bloke in the nearest one died. As my Grandmother would have said, "All part of life's rich pattern".

[alyvonne]

Thank you for you reply. Glad your recovering from your ordeal .

[Elizka]

So sorry! Did they identify any other issues that could have caused the attack? And, no, my only issue after my ablation was migraines for 35 days plus.

[Sharonsue in reply to Elizka]

I have had migraines for 11 months since ablation. 24/7. Have been going to a neurologist for 9 mo. I am getting nerve blocks every 6 weeks. Botox every 12 weeks. I take Frovatriptan in between procedures for the migraines.

[Elizka in reply to Sharonsue]

Oh my! I've had migraines since I was teen, but with Botox (not in the neck and every 3 months) and the new CGRP drugs like Nurtec and Aimvoig, I was in such a good place--maybe one migraine a month that I was able to stop with Nurtec. Then, I had an ablation.

TERRIBLE. Migraines for 35 days straight, and at 90 days since ablation, I'm getting one about every other day. I seem to be able to stop them when I first see the visual disturbance in my left eye by manipulation, a head ice pack and taking a Nurtec. But it is so frustrating and I feel like I back to frequent migraines, days were I can't workout, fatigue, left over head pain, etc.

[Brad43 in reply to Elizka]

Migraine headache, or just the aura? I've never had the headache, but occasionally had the aura, which they call visual migraine, over the last 30 years or so. After my ablation, I got aura 2 or 3 times a day for about 3 weeks. Aura is a common side effect of ablation, which you probably already knew.

[Elizka in reply to Brad43]

Migraine with Aura for 35 days after ablation, but now just aura's that I can get rid of with ice and some meds before it transitions into full migraine.

[alyvonne]

thank you for your reply. No other issues. The cardiac intervention team were brought in . They seam to think it was to do with the ablation.

[KiwiBlake]

Go buy yourself a lottery ticket! You sound like a very lucky person not to have sustained any damage to your heart.

[alyvonne in reply to KiwiBlake]

thank you for your reply. Will buy a lottery ticket😂

[Nightmare2 in reply to KiwiBlake]

From what i am hearing lately including a friend of mine who had a heart attack and 2 stents after, he has no damage to his heart, so not all heart attacks do muscle damage it seems.

[alyvonne in reply to Nightmare2]

thank you for your reply

[localad]

No but i did go into asystole during my first ablation.

[alyvonne in reply to localad]

thank you for your reply .

[Ppiman]

Gosh you were unlucky. I was told that it's a very rare possibility caused by fluid forming and compressing the heart during the ablation, something called cardiac tamponade. You'll be fine now, and, in its way, I suppose (looking for a silver lining...), the cardiac team will have kept a closer than usual watch on you!

Steve

[alyvonne in reply to Ppiman]

thank you for your reply

[Singwell in reply to Ppiman]

Thanks for clarifying. Must've been a horrible experience for the Alyvone, but also important for others not to feel unduly scared about ablation.

[Ppiman in reply to Singwell]

Well said.

Steve

[2learn]

Hi, I read some research that said the risk of stroke or heart attack was same for 20 days after ablation as during ablation. People tend to think if ablation ok they are ok but research said you were still at risk. I had a small stroke within 20 day period so I tend to believe it.

[alyvonne in reply to 2learn]

thank you for your reply. Hope you’re ok now

[Jetcat]

I hope your on the mend soon mate.👍

[alyvonne in reply to Jetcat]

thank you

[Nightmare2]

By posing questions on here we have to realise we are not dealing with professionals, people try to help others, but remember, none are specialists and one size does not always fit all.

[kocoach]

Hello, I was in the Hospital for a procedure in 2019. After it was over I was coming out of bathroom and a lot of Drs. and nurses came running in to room saying I was having a heart attack, didn't feel a thing. Come to find out it was a widow maker (coronary artery) was 95% blocked. Cleaned arteries out next day, put in two stents and Heart Dr. said no heart damage at my two-week appointment and I'm still alive and kicking and still dealing with afib. Good luck to you and wishing you the best.

[alyvonne in reply to kocoach]

thank you for your reply

[Pindarus]

No but I did have a TIA (mini stroke) immediately after the ablation. There is apparently a 1 in 200 chance and I was the 1. The registrar said he had never known this to happen, and that generally an ablation carries very few risks, so I guess you were very unlucky. Best wishes for your full recovery.

[alyvonne in reply to Pindarus]

thank you

[Ablation7]

so sorry that happened to you.

[alyvonne]

thank you

[Brad43]

After my ablation, I spent the night in the hospital. The next day, a woman who I don't think was a nurse came to tell me they were going to discharge me soon. She went with me on a short walk down the hall to make sure all was OK, and during the walk I felt moderate chest and upper back pain. I told her so, and she called my EP (who had performed the ablation) and told her about it. By that time, the pain was gone, so I was sent home about an hour later.

On the way home the pain returned, and by the time I got home it was severe. I tried to relax hoping it would go away, but it didn't so I went to ER. They gave me a double dose of morphine which killed the pain, and they admitted me. No more pain, but the next morning a group of nurses came to tell me they think I might have had a heart attack and they were going to do an angiogram. I asked what that is, and they described how it's just like the ablation, but they just look around inside. I was disgusted at having to go through all that again, and told them to call my EP. She said it was pericarditis due to the ablation, and she canceled the angiogram.

It was only after all of that, that I found out from this group that pericarditis is a fairly common side effect of ablation. My EP had never mentioned that to me, if she had I would have at least known what was probably happening and not panicked as I did. When I talked to her later, she acknowledged that it's a side effect, but said it's rare. According to what I've learned here, it's not "rare" it's just unusual. I don't know the %, but my WAG would be 10-20% from what I've read. Maybe someone here knows the actual %. I also learned after the fact that this group has an ablation fact sheet, which I wish I'd seen. Anyway, what I'm clumsily getting at is that I would want to be very certain that what you had was a heart attack, and not severe pericarditis such as I had, before having any procedures for a heart attack. Especially since they said no heart damage.

[alyvonne in reply to Brad43]

Thank you for your reply. I was told blood test showed troponin went from 5 to around 4000 and ecg showed problem as well. But hopefully I will find out more at my outpatient appointments