PVC Ablation - 5 hrs! What to Expect?

[CuriousCat9]

Long story. I'm 41 and had experienced frequent ectopics 6 years ago. At the time, heart was fine and I was told it wasn't a problem and not to worry. Fast forward to April last year and I'm so tired, anxious all the time and feeling pretty ill. Turns out my ectopic burden is now 50% and I have heart failure with EF of 36%.

All scans are clear - no heart disease or abnormal structures; the ventricular wall is still of normal thickness. Given all of this 'theoretically' if the ectopics are stopped, my heart could heal in time. Left ventricle is severely dilated.

Cardiology and electrophysiology concluded that it was caused by ectopic beats and I need an ablation. They will enter via my femoral artery and it could take at least 5 hours because of the location of the beats.

I've read loads about atrial fibrillation ablation - in and out, not knocked out, via wrist or femoral vein, but nothing about what I'm waiting for. Is there anyone there who has had what I'm getting?

The procedure has a better success rate than af but there are obviously more risks given the location.

I'm terrified. I can't think of anything else, and I'm stuck like ground hog day, unable to plan ahead.

Apologies for the long post, I just feel very lost.

[SaxmanAD]

Hi, I'm experienced with ablations & have had 2 successful ablations this year however my body wants to knock me back into AFib constantly. I would advise work on your mental health, lifestyle changes & live life to the full. After your ablation be kind to yourself as you will need to recover & if take plenty of rest as your body will tell you when you are tired. I hope this helps & good luck.

[Lexi72]

Hi Curious Cat9, I had an ablation a few months back for ventricular ectopics 20/30 per cent load . So not as major as one for Afib. I was awake throughout as they needed in my case to see where the ectopics came fromso they could zap the area. Sometimes they put you under a general and may need to do that with an Afib ablation you would need to ask the doctor Put on happy drugs so was very calm. It is all done in the cath lab with a team of 8 - I had a nurse whose sole job was to look after me. Felt really safe and secure and really well looked after by the NHS. Kept in hospital for the rest of the day and then sent home for bed rest. I was up and about and fully recovered in 2 days but recovery times vary. My ablation did not work initially but the heart then settled down and the ectopics now seem to be gone. There are a few other posts on ablations on the site which you should be able to find using the search function . There will also be other hearties who will have had an Afib ablation. Who may be able to share their experiences There is also a little video on ablations on the BHS website which I found helpfulBest wishes Lexi71

[CuriousCat9 in reply to Lexi72]

Thanks so much for your reply - it's good to know that the ectopics hav3 settled - that's what I'm hoping for. I don't have Afib, I have pvc's so I'm having a general and will be out for about 5hrs. Most of the posts are about atrial fibrillation, that's why I'm looking for ventricular ectopic posts because the treatment seems a little different.

[Lexi72]

Mine took about 3 and a half hours but the ectopics weee coming from a localised area. My understanding is that the ablations do not always work and sometimes need to be repeated . The reason I was awake was that they need to map the area where they are coming from before they ablate the area. Putting the catheter really did not hurt as they give you a local anaesthetic . The ablation itself is hurt but they then gave me more pain killer and that was then bearable I also have damage to my left ventricle but the cardiologist/ electrophysiologist was not sure if was due to the ectopic load or my leaky valve. My left ventricle was not fixed by the ablation so am now having the valve fixed which will also hopefullly fix the left ventricle and prevent long term heart failure. My ejection fraction is still OK at present. Overall the ablation was not a big deal in my case far worse in the imagination than the reality. I was also really well looked after. Much more worried about my forthcoming OHS for the valve. Hope your ablation sorts your ectopics and your heart fully recovers kind regards Lexi71

[Hrt59]

Hi CuriousCat9

I have pvc’s as well and had an ablation for them three months ago. I was awake for it and the procedure took 6 hours as they had to map and ablade 5 different spots. It was really tough on me and on my last check up last week my dr said that I’ll need another one because there is a spot that need to be redone as the pvc load from it is now 50% which my dr told me is dangerous. I’m definitely not looking forward to having another one but I’m hoping it will be successful and my final ablation. I wish you all the best and that you have a successful ablation with a fast recovery. Please let us know how you get along after.