Afib after ablation.

[TazM]

Hi all. I had my ablation Tuesday. I was in NSR prior to the procedure but less than 24 hours later I have been in Afib for 4 days now and counting. Just curious how many days in a row others have gone after having an ablation? Cheers.

[CDreamer]

Have you phoned the Arrythmia clinic which performed your ablation? Although it’s quite common to have AF episodes following ablation it is sometimes advisable to have some intervention when episodes persist.

Best wishes

[TazM in reply to CDreamer]

I booked an appointment to see my GP as per the instructions from the AF clinic.

[JoDogBlue]

I had just the same thing! My AF post -ablation was highly symptomatic and I felt terrible physically (and mentally, thinking I'd made a huge mistake). I contacted the nurse team after a few days and was put on the list for a cardioversion. Fortunately I got a late cancellation after four weeks of AF otherwise it would have been about a three months wait.You may be lucky and go back into NSR without intervention but I'd try to get a cardioversion if possible or at least have pne in the pipeline. Mine worked and I've been in normal rhythm for 3 weeks while still within the blanking period.

Hope it all settles down for you soon.

[TazM in reply to JoDogBlue]

I was of the same thought. I was in NSR 8 days straight prior to my ablation. I'm normally in NSR only 2 to 3 days the AF for 5 - 6 days. Unfortunately cardioversion isn't an option for me. I have had 3 attempts fail and ended up on the drip. So awesome that you are 3 weeks NSR.

[KatyCaroline]

The day following my ablation I went into a 10 day episode. I wouldn't be worried at this stage, I think it's perfectly normal given what your heart has gone through. I thought I was never going to revert, but I did.

[TazM in reply to KatyCaroline]

Wow a 10 day episode. Happy to hear you were finally able to revert.

[Buzby62]

See my reply to a recent post

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

You should contact your arrhythmia team in my opinion.

Best wishes

[TazM in reply to Buzby62]

Thank you for the link. It was very informative. The instructions from the AF clinic that performed the ablation do not want to be contacted unless you're in severe pain or having an episode that lasts longer than 24 hours that makes you feel unwell. I have my 2 month followup booked.

[kkatz]

Has your AF been confirmed by readings.I say that because other Arrythmias can feel like AFib as I have experienced this .If so contact your Arrythmia Nurse or Ep's Secretary.

[TazM in reply to kkatz]

Booking an appointment to see a cardiologist is over 6 months. Booking for the AF clinic for ECG is 2 months.

[mjames1]

Agree with the others. Contact your doctor, both to confirm you are in afib vs another arrythmia and to begin an early intervention -- medical and/or cardioversion -- if indicated. Yes arrhythmias may be more common during blanking however, early intervention can help the healing process and hopefully long term sucess.

Jim

[TazM in reply to mjames1]

I've booked an appointment to see my GP. Hopefully he will be able to help.

[CDreamer in reply to TazM]

I hope he will help, my experience is that unless they are a specialist cardiac GP themselves - they refer back to the Arrythmia clinic so you can go around in circles. May I suggest that if that is what happens that you ask your GP to make an urgent contact to the EP who performed the ablation for instructions of next steps. The longer you leave the AF then the more likely the AF will establish.

When you say cardioversion is not an option then I assume you me electrical conversion but could you have a chemical conversion?

[TazM in reply to CDreamer]

It is the electrical conversion that is not an option.

[JonathanPittsCrick]

The abaltion procedure works by injuring the left atrium around the pulmonary veins and this can make this area more irritable as it heals, so it often causes more AF in the first few days/weeks afterwards. It's important to keep on taking anticoagulant treatment and you may need extra beta-blocker to control the rate if its too fast for comfort (over about 110 bpm). The important thing is that it doesn't mean it's been unsuccessful, you have to wait several weeks for "the dust to settle" before its apparent if the precefure has been successful or not.

It's useful to get an AliveCor /Kardia Mobile device or (more expensive) an ECG-recording watch (e.g. Apple Watch or Samsung / Garmin) so you can monitor and record your progress and report back to your cardiologist.

Unfortunately the success rate is far from 100% (especially if your blood pressure isn't under good control or you're still drinking too much alcohol) so it's not that unusual to have to do a second (or even third) procedure or just put up with occasional recurrent episodes.