Cardiac Ablation

[mattlogan87]

So, after having a reveal device fitted I was told I'd not have to see my cardiologist unless something was picked up.......that day came and I saw him last week.

Since having the reveal device fitted (for racing HR and palpitations) my heart has "paused" twice, once for 4 seconds and once for 9 seconds, both whilst I was asleep.

Cardiologist told me that what they would normally do would be to fit a pacemaker, but as I'm 31 the lifespan of a pacemaker would mean it would have to be replaced 1-3 times in my life. So instead he has said being seen by an Electrophysiologist might be best with a view to having cardiac ablation.

I have a couple of questions:

1) I was told the electrophysiologist would decide if I'm a good candidate for the procedure. Is there any reason why I wouldn't be?

2) What can I really expect from cardiac ablation? Pain, discomfort, recovery period etc.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[mattlogan87]

Thanks Jo, really appreciate your responses. Not sure watching videos on YouTube is helping my worries!

[Alessa69 in reply to mattlogan87]

Hi Matt,

I had an Ablation last week, planned for SVT and like you, I had watched the BHF YouTube video on ablation. I was very concerned about the risks and found it hard to get my head around the issues, as my SVT was fairly random, but becoming more frequent.I explained my fear to my Cardiologist, whomI had known for 20 years. It’s something he does every day, so of course , they perhaps do not realise that patients may experience fear.I spoke to as many people as I could, to understand the “Why “behind process . I realised it was to stop damage getting worse.On the day The team were great, I was given sedation, very relieved that I did, as results were that I was going into AF. Very relieved that I went through with ablation, as no there is no fear if I have to have another, and now I have have treatment for the problem. Good Luck with your journey, don’t let your fears overtake you. I cannot tell you how great I felt when I came through the process.

[mattlogan87 in reply to Alessa69]

Alessa69 thanks for that. I was thinking of giving BHF support line a call and just talking it through with someone. At the time whilst seeing my cardiologist he was running behind with his clinic and I didn't really want to sit there asking questions. I'm hoping that I get given the go ahead to have it done and things with my heart can go back to normal, it's just the fear of the unknown really.

[Alessa69 in reply to mattlogan87]

Yes, can totally understand that fear! Believe me, I dragged my heels for 18 months, after 1st SVT incident was caught on tape, but another incident late at night in the hot summer concentrated my mind a bit. I was fortunate in that mine was covered by my Insurance, so I had an element of choice( maybe not always such a good thing, in retrospect) I spoke with a few friends, including a friend of ours , a retired Dr, told him my fears...he explained that the treatment was to sort out pre existing damage..... The trouble is, we are all so different , and fear of the unknown is totally understandable. I was fortunate in that I could email my Cardiologists secretary , and get her to forward my bullet point questions& highlight my fears to my Cardiologist. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, totally understand your point about your guy running late& you feeling awkward about asking questions BUT it’s your appointment and your body! I found it helpful to write brief questions down. The BHF nurses on helpline were great, as were the BUPA cardio nurse helpline. Sharing information can help a lot. Am now on day 4 of Rivaroxaban, with flecaneide as pill in pocket for now, may need another ablation depending how things pan out.Keep up your healthy lifestyle, eat good nutritious food , stay positive , don’t overthink the problem( I certainly did!)and try and get good sleep, and reach out to friends. It all helps. I felt so much better after the procedure, maybe it was just total relief, but I still feel better and it’s day 5 now!

[Shoshov]

Hi Matt. That's a bummer. Your too young for problems like these. Can I ask how long did it take to find problem and how quickly they acted. I'm awaiting monitor being fitted and was told you could have it in for years. Don't know what I think about that. Good luck with your decision. ❤️

[mattlogan87 in reply to Shoshov]

I regularly ride a bike and wear a HR monitor and a friend noticed my HR was very high whilst riding (average 170 max 200) so advised me to see GP. I was also diagnosed with high blood pressure and referred to cardiologist. This was all in December 2016.

Had my reveal device fitted about 2 months ago. I was told it could stay in there for up to 3 years depending on battery life. Not sure if now they think it's an electrical problem for me they'll remove the device soon.

[Fazerboy in reply to mattlogan87]

Hi Matt, I also do quite a lot of cycling and my garmin hr monitor proved to me that my hr was going too high on occasions. Is your average 170 and max 200 all the time or only for some of the time? I ride with average say 110 and max 140 but if it jumps it shoots up to say 160 and stays there until it suddenly drops again to say 90 or so. I am 62 so I don't want it at much over 140 normally.

I've got an implant Linq recorder so I can tell it to record for 8 minutes if I get a sudden jump in hr. Mine can stay in for up to 3 years but I assume that when they recognise the problem they could take it out sooner if I wanted.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

A former colleague had an ICD fitted at 30 as a day patient and was back at his desk in a couple of days. Pacemaker fitment is much the same.

As said technology changes. I work with sensors in the medical arena but it a totally different field. The current design is over five years old and the new ones will be smaller, and utilise contactless charging and wi-fi.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I'm general a cardiologist deals with the plumbing side (arteries, valves, etc ) whilst an electrophysiologist deals with the electrical side. At your age there would be little chance of anything being found to prevent the ablation.

When my late mother was in hospital a 96 y.o. had a pacemaker battery replaced without issue. She told the doctors she would be back for another. I liked her attitude!

[Shoshov in reply to MichaelJH]

So it took all that time to have it fitted?

[daisy2311]

Hi Matt, I'm 35 and have SVT. It is currently controlled by medication and I was placed on a waiting list for ablation. I decided against it in the end as my issue tends to flare up very infrequently (sometimes with years in between episodes). I discussed it with a cardiac nurse who explained everything far better than the cardiologist...I said I wasn't keen on the risks and recovery time etc given that it is controlled by the medication. However, she did say that I will likely need one in the end as the medication often becomes ineffective after long periods. All this being said, if the only other alternative in your case is a pacemaker then ablation seems perhaps the best option. Maybe speak to one of the BHF nurses and they can explain everything in more detail. One thing I was told is that the recovery time is more for the wound on your leg that they use as an entry point rather than the heart itself! Hope this helps.

[esherm]

I was down for a cardiac ablation last year, the first half of the procedure (the electrophysiology study) is the part where they try and induce the arrhythmia. They kept me wide awake for this part and you will only experience mild discomfort but it shouldnt be too painful! Just tell them if its getting painful and they should give you pain relief for it. Unfortunately they couldn't complete the ablation part on me because it was deemed too risky but the first half is absolutely fine, for me it felt like i had been running up a steep hill as they made my heart beat really fast (i suffer from SVT) so I am not sure if it will be slightly different for you based on your condition.

All the best!

[esherm in reply to esherm]

you also feel a bit tired and also sore at the puncture site afterwards for a day or so but its really not painful. You get told not to lift anything heavier than a pot or kettle for around 4 days to allow the site to heal. My recovery was a bit longer because unfortunately I developed pericarditis but that isn't common at all I don't think! I was only 21 when I had the procedure done so I too was really nervous but its honestly not that bad at all!

[avma in reply to esherm]

Hey,

Why was it too risky? And are they going to try another ablation sometime in the future?

[esherm in reply to avma]

They managed to induce the arrhythmia but not enough for them to get a really clear solid idea of where it was originating from, so if they tried the ablation they would have kinda been doing it blindly which could cause more damage so decided to leave it unfortunately!

They offered the procedure to me again but I declined as I developed pericarditis afterwards which has put me off it for a while haha x

[Alison1960]

Hi Matt

I had SVTs for years which got increasingly worse but were totally stopped by ablation and I’ve never looked back. I was kept awake but heavily sedated - they have to try to make the SVT’s or whatever happen - but apart from laughing with the staff and probably talking absolute garbage I don’t remember much at all. I preferred it to my recent angiogram where I wasn’t as heavily sedated. After ablation I was shocked at how totally exhausted I was for a few days. But it was worth it.

Good luck!!!

Alison