cardiac ablation

[Afib61]

Hello: Has anyone had a cardiac ablation. If so, has this remedied the paroxysmal AFib and have you been able to get off blood thinners and beta blockers ?

[stoneyrosed]

I have had two, the first one failed after 3 months the second one so far has lasted 18 months where i have managed to come off all meds.

[mjames1]

Are you talking about a surgical ablation or a catheter ablation? For a surgical ablation.  MummyLuv and  saulger are two members here who have had them and they may respond. More common are catheter ablations, which many of us have had including myself.

Jim

[ozziebob in reply to mjames1]

Now I'm confused as to exactly what procedure Afib61 is asking about. Most Forum replies are referring to catheter ablations. But your reply is referring to a procedure performed by a cardiac surgeon? and this was my first thought as well.

I now suspect Afib61 is referring to a catheter ablation.

bob

[mjames1 in reply to ozziebob]

I see you're confusion and I guess you would have to ask the OP what he is referring to. I interpreted it as a surgical ablation like mini maze, but maybe he did mean a catheter ablation. I just made an edit to my original post on that point thanks for ringing it up.

Jim

[ozziebob in reply to mjames1]

From Afib61 's Bio, my guess was female.

[Buffafly in reply to ozziebob]

‘Cardiac ablation’ seems to be an American term. Bob used to correct the term until someone pointed out that there are other ablation procedures. It does refer to a catheter ablation.

[ozziebob in reply to Buffafly]

Yes, even a UK Google search for the meaning of cardiac ablation returns catheter ablation. Go figure!

[Nan1]

Good morning, yes a cryo ablation in February that failed. Seeing consultant in September with view to having second one.

[KazDD]

Hi, I had cryo ablation April 2019 and have been good ever since, (hoping I don't jinks myself 🤞🏼) but I do still take anticoagulants.

[Sarah57]

Hi

I had a cryoablation in April 2016

Off all meds and so far so good 8 years on.

Lifestyle quite important for me as alcohol would set it off how ever little a drank (btw I have never been a person who could drink much tbh so obviously a very sensitive person to toxins which my EP confirmed to me can often be the case with A fibbers.)

So have been completely "Straight edge" for 8 years.

Pace yourself, listen to your body, watch what you eat as different foods can set it off too, try not to get over tired etc etc but its worth it not to be in AF

I had paroxyamal AF like you previously for 20 years that gradually got much worse in the last 5 years before my ablation.

Also try and check out your EP if possible.

I Feel very lucky

It has worked well for me so far.

Good luck

[JGBH in reply to Sarah57]

Pleased you are doing well . Silly question what is EP?

[wilsond in reply to JGBH]

Electrophysiologist, a cardiologist specialising in arrhythmia.

[JGBH in reply to wilsond]

Thank you… it does make sense. . May I ask you what would you describe as episodes? Did you faint? I faint and always feel am about to faint… GP not really proactive… I have RA so RA patients are candidates for strokes and heart attacks… which worries me.

Keep well.

[Buffafly in reply to JGBH]

‘RA’ ?

[JGBH in reply to Buffafly]

Rheumatoid Arthritis. A nasty autoimmune disease…

[Buffafly in reply to JGBH]

Excuse me butting in, but if you feel faint with AF you should go to A&E. The rule is : If you have chest pain/breathlessnessness/fainting with AF you should go to A&E, preferably by ambulance. That will sort out your GP!

[JGBH in reply to Buffafly]

I have not been diagnosed with AF. I am concerned I might have this on top of everything else. My GP is not exactly proactive… and suggested a 72 hours holster monitor which will probably not indicate everything is ´normal ´ while I will still feel lightheaded and have fainting episodes.

Last month when I passed out a paramedic came round and checked my BP and did an ECG which indicated a sinus tachycardia of 100 which is within the range but at the highest level. That fainting episode was different from previous ones I had a few years ago… I told the GP. I think she should request an angiogram. That should indicate if there are any blockages anywhere. Obviously something is stopping the blood flow from my heart to my brain. I would expect a doctor to take this seriously and act accordingly.

May I ask how you were diagnosed with AF? I really do not want to wait and see as is the general HNS rule… I do not want to risk having a stroke or heart attack, obviously.

[Buffafly in reply to JGBH]

I collapsed at home due to pericardial effusion, turned out I had AF. Your best bet if you don’t think the Holter will catch ‘it’ is an Apple Watch or other continuous monitor. I don’t think an angiogram would be helpful at this stage. Usually if you pass out it is due to low BP which could be from a number of causes. You don’t mention any palpitations though.

[JGBH in reply to Buffafly]

Thank you for your prompt reply. Poor you.

Not sure about palpitations.. but one morning a few weeks ago I was woken up at 2 pm by the very loud sound of my heartbeat … so sat on the edge of the bed and took my pulse, it was 99/minute.. When I told my GP she said it was ‘normal ´… Well…

I cannot wear any kind of watch on my wrists which are excruciatingly painful because of the RA.

Not sure how I can make the GP carrying on further investigations.

[Buffafly in reply to JGBH]

Accept the Holter and hope it catches something. Doesn’t sound like AF though, most people notice unless they have it permanently.

[JGBH in reply to Buffafly]

Yes, I intend to do so. It is rather scary especially when living alone. Luckily I was staying at my daughter’s when I passed out last month… while I was having a video chat with a friend in Scotland. My friend was rather worried when she witnessed me fainting… In the past few years when I fainted I was alone.

I feel reassured it doesn’t sound like AF though, but need to find the root cause of the fainting. Can’t carry in like that as it’s difficult to function safely.

Am going away to family tomorrow.

Thank you and best wishes to you.

[Afibbingnewbie in reply to JGBH]

my partner heard it on my chest, she then used an Apple series 9 watch to test , it showed Afib and said go to a hospital, I checked 10 more times as I hadn’t heard of Afib , then went to hospital, it was correct and got treated, have had several episodes since , 😟

[Ppiman]

I have had one for a different arrhythmia called atrial flutter, and am waiting for one for my AF and other arrhythmias. I have been told the first-time success rathe is 70-80% with a second possibly needed taking this to 90%.

Steve

[Buzby62]

Yes, Cryoablation December 2023, off the meds since March 2024, I keep an update in my bio, click my badge to read.

Best wishes

[Princelover]

Hi I developed AF in 2022; had cryoablation in July 2023 and nothing since. Shhhh! I still take an anticoagulant and have flecinide as a PIP just in case for holidays etc. Been told if it returns to have another ablation. Hope that helps 😀

[wilsond]

Yes see my recent posts for full report. Briefly,I had my cardiac ablation in June 2022. This was for PAF and Atrial Flutter. No flutter since at all, 4 AF episodes.Flecanide ( anti arrythmic drug)wasn't working any more. Now it is and I am so much better all round. Ejection fraction( a measure of heart efficiency) has gone back to normal.too as a result.

If you are on Apixaban you should remain on for life, as AF can return without earningband you'd be unprotected. It is not a blood thinners,that is aspirin. It is an anticoagulant.

I am no longer on bisoprolol as that was to ,supposedly control my heart rate to stop flutter attacks.

[Physalis]

I had my ablation four years ago and haven't had one episode of AF since. I take apixaban, because of my age and risk of strokes. Also it has stopped the attacks of migraine I had for about eighty years.

[babs1234 in reply to Physalis]

Wow my Hemicrania Continua is lot better. Didn’t think of putting it down to the Apixaban

[pip_pip in reply to babs1234]

I think physalis is talking about the ablation ...

[babs1234 in reply to pip_pip]

Well she said if stopped her migraines

[Halfheart]

Your decision about whether to continue with anticoagulants should be independent of the outcome of your ablation. If your chads score indicated anticoagulants, that score isnt going to change.