What KIND of Cardioversion???

[Corazon17]

When people say herein that they have had multiple cardioversions -- or even one cardioversion -- am I too fussy when I want them to tell us *what kind* of cardioversions they had?

I ask myself: Were they electrical cardioversions or medication cardioversions?

As for medication cardioversions, I sometimes get the impression that people regard their *own* action to take extra doses of meds as a cardioversion. Is this a generally accepted allowed usage of the word "cardioversion"?

Am I correct to observe that the term "cardioversion" is being used with great imprecision and inconsistency?

[Jalia]

I'm of the opinion that the term cardioversion on this site refers to electrical cardioversion ie DCCV ...Direct Current Cardioversion. I always use the term Dccv . I've had 28 DCCVs incidentally!

[Corazon17 in reply to Jalia]

I agree that the term *should* refer to electrical cardioversion by default, but that's mainly for my selfish convenience, I suppose.

Electrical cardioversions seem like kind a big deal to me.

Are they *not* such a big deal, requiring much planning and occasioning anxiety and difficulty, such as overnight stays and so forth?

Over what period of time were your 28 DCCVs?

[Jalia in reply to Corazon17]

My dccvs were over 30 years, a couple lasting several years. They were not undertaken lightly. I became refractory to drug treatment and had persistent high rates.Mine were all ' emergency' in that I didn't have to go on a waiting list and was already anticoagulated. They are not a big deal although they certainly seemed like they were for my first few. Nowadays they are all day case but used to require overnight stay.

[Corazon17 in reply to Jalia]

Thank you for your informative reply.

I am glad to hear it was 24 over 30 years, and a bit embarrassed to think it might have been 24 in 3 years. What an ordeal *that* would be. (Or maybe not these days?)

I like "refractory"!

[Vonnegut in reply to Jalia]

Thant sounds like some kind of record! Aren’t you able to take something like Flecainide, which always stopped episodes that I had in a few hours when taken as a PiP. Now that I take it regularly, it has virtually put an end to episodes for me and I have even been able to reduce the first dose of the day and remained AF free.

[Jalia in reply to Vonnegut]

If Flecainide worked I would have taken it by now and wouldn't have had so many procedures. This is why I said I was refractory to drug treatments.

[Vonnegut in reply to Jalia]

I’ll have to look up that word in the dictionary as I haven’t come across it before! And now that I have done so, I am really sorry for misunderstanding what you wrote. Do please forgive me.

[Jalia in reply to Vonnegut]

No problem. ' Refractory to drug treatment ' appeared on my hospital records a few times....a concise statement ! ( I've had 5 ablations as well....but that's my lot now 🙂 )

[Vonnegut in reply to Jalia]

Poor you! Your experience certainly trumps mine! If only there were a good way of dealing with this irritating intermittent electrical fault that actually worked for everyone but guess as we are all different it’s more of an individual thing.

[BobD Volunteer]

In general terms cardioversion normally refers to Direct Current Cardioversion (DCCV) . Most people refer to drug related as chemical cardioversion. and yes I know people who have had 20+ DCCVs though I would be very cautious about being too cavalier over such matters. These things are not without risk and I did in fact go into cardiac arrest during one DCCV and require CPR which is not fun to recover from as broken ribs are normal, though admittedly a small price to pay for me to be writing this. .

[Corazon17 in reply to BobD]

Thank you. I guess I will read "cardioversion" without an adjective or other context as being a DCCV.

I'm surprised that some people have so many. I would be inclined to have one, imagining it to be much easier than an ablation, but I did not know that dozens of DCCVs were possible, if not common.

I will poke elsewhere for more info on them versus ablations, unless there is an executive summary on the lines of, "DCCVs are a much, much, much, much better idea than an ablation. Signed, God."

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Corazon17]

Look on cardioversison as a test to see if you can attain NSR and if so do you feel better. If yes to both then it signposts other treatments like ablation.

[AFCyclist]

The is also an exercise induced cardioversion that a lot of us use.

[Corazon17 in reply to AFCyclist]

You mean when people take an uphill hike during high-pulse afib?

[CDreamer in reply to Corazon17]

Not quite. IF you know your AF is vagally induced by rest, a short burst of intense exercise can mean people self convert.

I’ve been able to use vasovagal manoeuvres to self convert but intense exercise induces AF for me. We are all very different and react differently. By the way, often DCCV is sometimes used to assess whether or not ablation would be effective, for those in persistent AF so often not a question of either or.

[Corazon17 in reply to CDreamer]

"Vagally induced by rest," you say.

Do you have any personal anecdotes about how much rest, or body position, etc.?

[Fullofheart]

I've had 2 cardioversions and 3 ablations, in the space of about a year. It's not at all uncommon for people to have multiples. Though not usually as close together as in my case.Cardioversions are usually used to assess if an ablation can be successful. I.e. if you can retain NSR (sinus rhythm) temporarily via cardioversion then an ablation is more likely to be a viable option.

If I read cardioversion in a post, I would assume electric (DCCV).

[beach_bum]

I’ve had both…chemical administered at the ER, and one Electroconversion.

My preference is by far the electro. In and out…if you haven’t eaten in 8 hrs, because they do complete bloodwork before doing it. They give you a quick shot of fentanyl before they put you out…well you aren’t really “out” but through the magic of medicine, you don’t feel anything nor remember anything.

Minutes vs hours of laying there listening to bells beeps calls and watching the drip going sloooooowly down and having to pee like a racehorse.

I’ll take the zap every time lol.

Fun tip, if you are a hairy guy like myself, shave BEFORE you go in…trust me on this lol. They are not good at it and use dull razors 😆

[Jajarunner]

I mean electrical cardioversion or DCCV

[BevCynfelyn]

Here in Wales we are limited to a maximum of 3 DCCVs and then you are left in constant AF. My 3 previous DCCVs each left me in NSR for around 2 years each time. Even the Mitral Valve repair I had back in November which was aimed at trying to stop the AF didn't involve a DCCV to put me into NSR. As I've never self-converted then this present bout of AF is now 27 months and counting.