SVT heart ablation

[Chrismill14]

so after being diagnosed with SVT after years of episodes of racing heart , consultant wants to do a ablation to the damaged area of the heart , very anxious about having this procedure. Has anyone else had this type of procedure? Alt is to take meds for the rest of my life that come with side effects . Any advice be gratefully received

[Crystal614]

I have SVT. An attempt at ablation was done in 2021. Unfortunately the EP could not pinpoint exactly where the problem was originating from as he could not get my heart to go into SVT long enough to do the ablation. Typical! just wouldn't happen on the day. I now take Flecainide. However, I have been having runs of palpitations and worsening chest pain, I have MVA as well as a pacemaker. So I can't say what is causing this, I am waiting for further investigations. I have never had any side effects from taking Flecainide. If for some reason I have to stop taking it then I would want my EP consultant to give ablation another go, but obviously that would be his decision.

[dadfrogboy in reply to Crystal614]

Hello, I've had a couple of ablations for atrial flutter, 1st never worked but second one cured the problem and procedure is okay, bit odd to feel wires in your heart but it's not painful and actually pretty interesting. My only feedback (and don't let it put you off) but I've ended up with a worse condition than before as AFib is waking me up most nights now since my ablation and had I have known I would not have the ablation. Don't let this put you off as I understand poor outcomes are rare, but perhaps ask your cardiologist.

[Crystal614 in reply to dadfrogboy]

Hi, I have had ablation for Afib which appears to have been a complete success. I know that there is something going on causing intense chest pain. I have MVA and a pacemaker as well, which I mentioned in the last post. I have a nuclear perfusion scan in a few days time. There are a few things that they will be looking for. It could be an electrical problem or disease causing current issues. I will have to wait and see.

[EmmJayTea]

I had an EP study and actually found it very interesting, even though I was in happy land due to the sedatives. They were hoping to ablate, but didn't because they found a slightly different arrhythmia to the one they'd originally gone to look for.

You don't feel the wires going in, but you can feel some of the little shocks in your chest when they are running tests. I didn't find it painful; but it did feel a bit strange - a bit like something twitching in my chest cavity, but that was all. The consultant chatted to me throughout the procedure and kept me informed of what he was doing.

Just be aware that you won't be able to do any lifting/squatting for a few weeks until the groin puncture is fully healed.

I suspect I may need an ablation as I keep getting runs of ectopics and VTs when sitting at rest. Most annoying and uncomfortable. 😖

Good luck!

[BaileyCat23]

hi there I am in the exact same position and and so anxious ! How often do you get SVT episodes ? Mine arnt that often but petrifying when it does happen!

[Chrismill14 in reply to BaileyCat23]

yes they are very uncomfortable and scary , I have them at couple times a week , luckily the longest one lasted over a hour and I didn’t feel well at all landed me in hospital and now I can get it sorted , did not realise I been having them most of my life , thought it was anxiety. My consultant told me he had so many patients that feel the same way. I could not believe when he mentioned I would need a procedure I half expected to be told go away it will get better in its own .. I’m glad they finally found something I thought I was going mad thinking it’s just mental health . My consultant also told me my kidney function was impaired too after having the test I had in hospital . So I will be getting another blood test to see what the score is as mine was 41 and it’s suppose not to go under 60 . Good luck to you

[Atora]

Hi, I started having SVT episodes from around the age of 14 (now 54) and in later years they could last for hours. The final straw was having one early in to a flight from London to Dubai back in 2017, luckily the Emirates staff were trained for this, hooked me up to an ecg monitor, gave me oxygen and were in communication with a doctor on the ground. They put out an announcement on the flight to see if there was a doctor on board and thankfully there was and he also came to assist. Like svt episodes do it suddenly went into normal rhythm and all was good, even though my normal trick of holding my breath didn't work. On returning home I had an echocardiogram and they discovered that in addition to svt I had a bicuspid aortic valve.... Anyway, to answer your question I had an ablation and (touch wood) to this day have not experienced any svt episodes longer than a few seconds and even those are extremely rare. I wish I'd had it done years ago. The procedure isn't painful or uncomfortable and if successful well worth it. Following on from this I've also had an aortic valve replacement and aortic root repair.

[Choccie55]

Hi, I was diagnosed with SVT in 2017 and prescribed Bisoprolol which kept it under control but steadily over the years my episodes are becoming more frequent and are impacting my mental health and quality of life. I can convert using the valsalva manoeuvre but I get anxious about going out alone or too far from home. I’ve been referred back to cardiology - my appointment is next week and am hoping an ablation is the way forward. I wish I had done it earlier. There’s also a new nasal spray drug in the pipeline which has a high success rate in stopping episodes. It could be available this year.