Heart Ablation

[ozzie]

Didn't know where to post so I thought this might be the best area.

I have Atrial Fibulation and the doctor has suggested and i have set up an appointment to have an Ablation done on Thursday the 20th. My question is has anyone had this procedure done and what was your experience? How long was your recovery? Did they resolve the issue? I am nervous to have the heart worked on but I think this is a relatively safe procedure...My main thing is how might I feel in the immediate days after the procedure?

Thanks,

Ozzie

[EBass]

No but I have other heart issues that will be addressed someday in the future. Good luck and God bless!

[leech~~]

There is a lot more info, on utube that you can see and hear. It maybe a good start for more info. Good luck!

[RiverFish]

Ozzie,

If you are at this point I am guessing that you have tried being cardioverted with no success. The ablation is simply burning the tissue in the heart that is causing your atrial fibrillation.

Ablation has a wide variance of being effective. It depends on the type of a-fib you have, how long you have had the a-fib, etc.

You will feel fine after the procedure. You will remain on a antiarrhythmic medication along with warfarin. You will have followups to make sure you are staying out of a-fib.

Ablation is a relatively safe procedure. Complications occur in 4-6% of ablations.

[TR21HP]

There ia actually a relatively new ablation by Medtronic that freezes the heart rather than burning. I've had 2 friends that have had to have 2 or 3 ablations with, in both cases, little success. To simply state that you will feel fine after the procedure is an onerous statement. Depending on the numbers of areas ablated will determine the shape you are in afterwards. In some cases the patient will be fine and allowed to leave the hospital. In some cases an overnight stay will be required. Remember it is still a major surgery and no two cases are rarely the same. Good luckand hopefully things will work out well for you.

[ozzie]

Thanks guys...I haven't done anything prior to this n have not been on meds as that was an option but I don't want to be on meds the rest of my life (i am 34). I will have to stay overnight. I have been on YouTube but I thought I would c if the FM family had any more insight. Thanks again

[RiverFish]

Thanks guys...I haven't done anything prior to this n have not been on meds as that was an option but I don't want to be on meds the rest of my life (i am 34). I will have to stay overnight. I have been on YouTube but I thought I would c if the FM family had any more insight. Thanks again

Ozzie,

Is there a reason why your cardiologist wants to go with ablation first, with out trying cardioversion?

Also, have other tests been done to see if there is a cause for the a-fib?

[FishinFools]

Really surprised your cardiologist has not recommended a few cardioversion first. Knowing nothing further about your exact situation, I would strongly consider a second opinion. Any sleep apnea history?

[ozzie]

No sleep apnea had Holter monitor on n caught a six hour episode. Did a few other tests n the options were meds or ablation. This is a cardiologist at u of m fairview n he seems to be a good doc from reviews n other staff at the hospital.

[FishinFools]

PM me his name. If you'd like.

[ozzie]

PM me his name. If you'd like.

U need to clean out ur pm box as it is full... Thanks

[jvb724]

My heart was in A-Fib and my doctor suggested cardioversion first, and if that didn't work, then we would discuss an ablation. The cardioversion worked and I have had no issues since. This happened in July of 2012. Good Luck!

[Black_Bay]

I agree with getting a second opinion. My dad had the same issue, a-Fib, and his cardiologist suggested they do at least one cardioversion before even talking about ablation. The second time it worked. BTW I learned there are 2 types of cardiologists. One type are referred to as plumbers and the other are referred to as electricians.

[ozzie]

Well after doing research the cardioversion is most effective if you just started having afib. They say I have had it for a few years and just didn't heed the signs and warnings when I had episodes.

As odd as this sounds I would maybe go for a second opinion but I need something done before my deductible resets and could cost me thousands...thanks for all your input I do truly appreciate it!!

[Crappyfisherman]

Had it done twice.Did not work,mine ended up getting worse. Make sure you get a second and even a third opinon before you do it.Hope you have better luck than me.

[fishhuntwork]

Cardioversion can be just as risky as an ablation. A-fib is a an irregular heart rythem where blood is not fully pushed out of the heart. A-fib is a signific ant cause of strokes bc the blood starts to clot and that is why people are prescribed warfin a blood thinner. The are several factors that come into play when a-fib is be controlled by either medications or cardioversion to correct it. Cardioversion has a great chance of stroke after the heart has been in a-fib for longer than 24 hrs of onset. A-fib is common and you are so young why would you ever question not having this proceedure? The only down fall of having the ablation is the possibility of them not finding the correct place in the heart to ablade, which sometimes it would require a pacemaker. This is just my 2 cents on the topic, I see this everyday I work or almost everyday.

[RiverFish]

Cardioversion can be just as risky as an ablation. Cardioversion has a great chance of stroke after the heart has been in a-fib for longer than 24 hrs of onset.

This is not true. No cardiologist would perform a cardioversion on someone who has been in a-fib for longer than 48 hours with out first having them on warfarin for 4-6 weeks. An echo of the heart can also be done to make sure there are no clots.

Good luck Ozzie if you are having the ablation tomorrow. Everything will work out.

[ozzie]

Thanks guys!! 8:30 am is start time for the procedure...

[Norsky]

I do the anesthesia for these. Relatively safe procedure, we have some excellent cardiologists here and the nice aspect of the procedure is that it a cure for the problem, not just a temporary fix. Not sure if it's you, but we even have one on the schedule for tomorrow morning at 0830!

[ozzie]

Is that at fairview southdale? That is where I am going

[Rick G]

Best of luck ozzie, hope everything goes smooth!

[fishing tech]

Good luck ozzie!!

[Black_Bay]

TTT I hope all went well.

[ozzie]

Hey guys thanks for the well wishes!!! I made it through the procedure n things went great. They were able to trigger my afib so hopefully they got all the problem areas n the issue is in the past. I can't express how much I appreciate all the info, well wishes, n reassurment I received from u all! Norsky it was great to meet you n thanks for stopping in n introducing yourself...it seems odd but that definatly calmed me a bit. Take care all n happy holidays!!!

[RiverFish]

Great to hear Ozzie, great news!

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Great ozzie!

I just saw this. I used to do process development/improvement engineering on Cardiac Ablation devices at a well known local place and my Wife still makes them there.

Glad it went well!