Afib/Cardiac ablation

[Mrs.Milo]

I have a history of Afib over the last 5 years. in May of 2023 I had my 6th Afib, and agreed to cardiac ablation. First I ever heard of it. Thursday night I had another episode and headed to the ER Friday. The Dr on call recommended a script, and asked if my arythmia (sp) specialist had mentioned the possibility of repeating the ablation.

Since it was the weekend, they wouldn’t do a cardiac conversion til Monday so let me come home in Afib on Saturday. It’s better this morning but I will follow up this week. Just wondering if anyone here had had to repeat ablation and if it corrected it the 2nd time around.
Thanks for any replies.

 

[mousefan73]

No, my daughters had her first and it seem to have held off the problem. She had SVT where her pulse would suddenly go over to 200. She had it in 2020 and so far no issues. She was 13 or 14 when she had it done but we were told that sometimes it Hass to be repeated but so far so good I’m not sure if you’re in the same situation to use some technical words I didn’t quite understand. The way the doctor explained to us is that it’s kind of fine-tuning finding the spot that they have to kill off in the heart muscle and sometimes they do have to go back in again

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yes, there are many people who have repeated ablations - not just for AFib, but for other arrythmias. (This implies they sometimes don’t work.)
Good luck to you.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi Mrs.Milo.

I had an ablation for atrial flutter (like afub but slightly different) back in 2014. They said I would not get a-flutter again but could get afib at some point in the future.

Fast forward 8 years to 2014. I got a number of afib episodes, each time with a cardioversion. The afib kept coming back relatively soon after the cardioversion. Had another ablation in like early May, 2022. Afib again in June. A followup cardioversion in June, nothing since.

I was getting repeated tachycardia episodes then but an Rx change elinated those.

I follow up with my cardiologist and also my electrophysiologist about every 4 months. I remain on my Coumadin regimen, just in case.

Best wishes, Mrs.Milo.

 

[tvguy]

Too soon for me to tell as I only had my ablation in June. I guess I had a LOT of tissue that had to be zapped because what was supposed to be a 3 hour procedure ended up taking 5 hours.
All my EKGs are been good, and work a heart monitor for 2 weeks with no afib. But they did warn me before hand that a touch up could be needed in the future. Someone I know was told to expect a touch up every 6 years.
Still a lot of changes in treatments, like I guess now there is come thinking among cardiologists that everyone over the age of 65 without regard to afib history should be on a blood thinner.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I have a history of Afib over the last 5 years. in May of 2023 I had my 6th Afib, and agreed to cardiac ablation. First I ever heard of it. Thursday night I had another episode and headed to the ER Friday. The Dr on call recommended a script, and asked if my arythmia (sp) specialist had mentioned the possibility of repeating the ablation.

Since it was the weekend, they wouldn’t do a cardiac conversion til Monday so let me come home in Afib on Saturday. It’s better this morning but I will follow up this week. Just wondering if anyone here had had to repeat ablation and if it corrected it the 2nd time around.
Thanks for any replies.

Some people get ablations and they're good for the remainder. Others need a touch up. Still others need a second, or more full ablations. And still others get that plus run through the entire spectrum of drugs and end up with a pace maker. Fortunately, Tesla doesn't make pacemaker batteries. They actually work in cold weather. Most people, the ablations usually end up working at least for a good amount of time.

 

[Iceman93]

My wife has had two ablations; so far, so good with the second. About two weeks after the first she had a really bad episode that resulted in us going to the ER; it turns out her heart was seriously irritated about that first ablation and decided to throw some atrial flutter in with her ongoing atrial fibrillation!

Like with so many medical things, I learn a whole lot by going through the experience (even second-hand) to include just how common these ablation procedures are. Her cardiologist was completely up-front and honest throughout, including telling us that a-fib isn't always solved with a single ablation procedure.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

now there is come thinking among cardiologists that everyone over the age of 65 without regard to afib history should be on a blood thinner.

Link?

 

[Mrs.Milo]

OP here again. I forgot to say I’ve been taking Eliquis for almost 3 years after 6 months on Coumadin. And Dr added Rythmol yesterday: I was unable to take flecanide after the ablation last May, terrible reaction.

 

[tvguy]

Link?

No link. Just the reason my Cardiologist gave when I asked why after my ablation he is keeping me on Eliquis. And when I updated my medications list at my Ophthalmologist last week, he said it is something he has read about and seen in his other patients.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

No link. Just the reason my Cardiologist gave when I asked why after my ablation he is keeping me on Eliquis. And when I updated my medications list at my Ophthalmologist last week, he said it is something he has read about and seen in his other patients.

For many people, anticoagulation is not something they would be on for no reason. It can cause problems.

I have seen that people are trying to get more on non-warfarin anticoagulants like eliquis if they have to be on one.

https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.or...s-reduce-stroke-bleeds-compared-warfarin-2717

now there is come thinking among cardiologists that everyone over the age of 65 without regard to afib history should be on a blood thinner.

https://lowninstitute.org/the-harms-and-benefits-of-blood-thinners-for-older-adults/

Warfarin and other blood thinners are often prescribed to prevent strokes for patients with afib, but for older adults, clinicians need to be aware of the potential harms. Taking direct anticoagulants increases the risk of stomach and brain bleeds in older adults, events that can be particularly harmful after a fall.

 

[tvguy]

For many people, anticoagulation is not something they would be on for no reason. It can cause problems.

I have seen that people are trying to get more on non-warfarin anticoagulants like eliquis if they have to be on one.

https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.or...s-reduce-stroke-bleeds-compared-warfarin-2717


https://lowninstitute.org/the-harms-and-benefits-of-blood-thinners-for-older-adults/

Warfarin and other blood thinners are often prescribed to prevent strokes for patients with afib, but for older adults, clinicians need to be aware of the potential harms. Taking direct anticoagulants increases the risk of stomach and brain bleeds in older adults, events that can be particularly harmful after a fall.

You certainly have to be your own health advocate as best you can to understand why you are on medicines.
And no Doctor is perfect, trust me, I know. I took two common blood pressure medicines in part to protect my kidneys, and those two medicines ended up damaging your kidneys. My primary care Doctor did the required blood work, but the issue wasn't discovered until the damage had been done.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You certainly have to be your own health advocate as best you can to understand why you are on medicines.
And no Doctor is perfect, trust me, I know. I took two common blood pressure medicines in part to protect my kidneys, and those two medicines ended up damaging your kidneys. My primary care Doctor did the required blood work, but the issue wasn't discovered until the damage had been done.

I remember the post where you mentioned that. Heart and kidney problems sometimes, unfortunately, go together. When the heart isn’t pumping as efficiently as it should, the kidneys aren’t perfused as well as they should be, and they can lose a bit of their function. We see it a lot when treating heart conditions. People sometimes associate that with drugs - and sometimes it is from drugs - but sometimes it’s a pre-renal issue, too. I hope yours are doing better now.

 

[tvguy]

I remember the post where you mentioned that. Heart and kidney problems sometimes, unfortunately, go together. When the heart isn’t pumping as efficiently as it should, the kidneys aren’t perfused as well as they should be, and they can lose a bit of their function. We see it a lot when treating heart conditions. People sometimes associate that with drugs - and sometimes it is from drugs - but sometimes it’s a pre-renal issue, too. I hope yours are doing better now.

Almost completely recovered.
That one I have a link for.
https://www.lupus.org/resources/about-drug-induced-lupus

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Almost completely recovered.
That one I have a link for.
https://www.lupus.org/resources/about-drug-induced-lupus

Sorry to hear that. Do you know which drug caused it? Are they thinking it will eventually resolve?

 

[tvguy]

Sorry to hear that. Do you know which drug caused it? Are they thinking it will eventually resolve?

Hydralazine Diagnosed after a kidney biopsy. It has been mostly resolved, but the reality it there may be some scarring for the rest of my life.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hydralazine Diagnosed after a kidney biopsy. It has been mostly resolved, but the reality it there may be some scarring for the rest of my life.

Ugh. My son is in the same boat from a bout of rhabdomyolysis.

Sorry to get off track, OP.

 

[Praise2Him]

My husband had Ventricular Tachycardia and had 5 ablations in 2 years. Thankfully the last one seems to have been successful, as it was in 2020 and he’s been fine since then.

 

[ohiomom28]

I have a history of Afib over the last 5 years. in May of 2023 I had my 6th Afib, and agreed to cardiac ablation. First I ever heard of it. Thursday night I had another episode and headed to the ER Friday. The Dr on call recommended a script, and asked if my arythmia (sp) specialist had mentioned the possibility of repeating the ablation.

Since it was the weekend, they wouldn’t do a cardiac conversion til Monday so let me come home in Afib on Saturday. It’s better this morning but I will follow up this week. Just wondering if anyone here had had to repeat ablation and if it corrected it the 2nd time around.
Thanks for any replies.

My husband ended up with 4 total, but its been almost a year without even so much as a flutter. I will say his was in a complicated area and stemmed from a congenital heart defect, so 4 probably isn't typical.
I'm surprised they sent you home in Afib. They did an emergency cardioversion in my husbands ER room once.

 

[SharonZ]

I've had three cardiac ablations for SVT and atrial flutter. This last time they implanted a loop monitor to better track my episodes. It's linked to my cell phone and transmits data to my electrophysiologist.