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Quotecornerbax With that said, and with a relatively stable EF the last year, what other areas of my Echo could reflect potential heart failure? That's a bit out of my wheelhouse, but EF is the primary measure of HF and it's generally measured by echo, so I'd say regular echoes would be a good idea. You also asked how fast it can happen. Although HF usually develops slowlyby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would not recommend disregarding Natale's advice. Mitral valve regurgitation trumps PACs and flutter. It probably explains your low-normal EF and improving that will improve everything else. PACs and flutter won't shorten your lifespan, but heart failure sure as hell will and a low-normal EF says you're headed in that direction.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh, okay, then for sure the Watchman is irrelevant. I don't even bother telling people unless they're going to do imaging of my chest.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDaisy Carey, unanswered question: if your LAA is clipped during a minimally invasive surgical repair of the Mitral Valve, is there tissue left around the mouth of the LAA that could be a source of arrhythmias and need ablation, or is that not a problem? As I understand it, when they ablate/isolate the LAA during an ablation, it is the tissue at the entrance that is ablated, rather than insidby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The Watchman isn't really a consideration except that it will allow you to stop the Eliquis for 5 days as I'm sure the surgeon will insist on. I had hernia repair surgery 4 months after my Watchman and Natale had no problem with me stopping Eliquis. It was for a ventral hernia (ie, the navel), not inguinal. It was done robotically and was minimally invasive, but the surgeon warned me inby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecornerbax Do you think Flutter, should it occur from This Robotic Maze surgery would be more significant For me knowing I already have issues with serious flutter From the Type 1C medications? I don't know of any reason that would be true. All types of Maze procedures have a high incidence of flutter, which is why the Convergent procedure exists. The only thing the robot brings toby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecornerbax I'm curious why you aren't generally a fan of Maze procedures? Because it's surgery with all the risks that come with surgery. And because it's surgery, there's a long, painful recovery period involved. Maze procedures very often resolve afib but put you into flutter, which isn't much better, so now you need an ablation to fix that when you could havby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) and Maze procedures (including a convergent procedure) are kind of apples and oranges. A PFA is just an ablation, nothing more. It uses a different technology that seems to be safer, but the end result is the same. But a Maze procedure is surgery and comes with all the attendant risks and a long recovery time, even the minimally invasive mini-Maze. A convergent is justby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, flutter is common. It goes hand-in-hand with afib, and it actually is a type of SVT, so those two go together as well. The types of SVT are AVNRT, AVRT, atrial tach, and atrial flutter. Flutter is usually distinguished separately because its causes are a bit different. It's caused by an electrical barrier with a gap in it in one of the atria. That barrier is usually scar tissue, which cby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewwoofbum My episodes always self-terminate. I could say the same thing for 8 years. The episodes happened once or twice a year, were reliably 6 hours long, and then self-terminated. So I didn't see anybody about it; just put up with it. And then the episodes started becoming more frequent and lasting longer. That trend steadily increased until I was having multiple episodes per week aby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewindyshores I do not yet want anticoagulants for episodes that last 20 minutes. Prior to this I went two years without any trouble. How long they last doesn't matter. What matters is your CHADS-Vasc score. And you need to find an EP either way. Neither your PCP nor a general cardiologist are trained and prepared to treat you appropriately.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotegloaming I could print what I would have said to the CEO, but I would have my privileges here suspended for at least a month. LOL... Probably not because you'd have a biased judge and jury that agrees with you.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Those aren't normal signs of aging. I would try stopping it for a day or two and see if those symptoms improve.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteLenlec Thanks. Just worried now that af has broken through the ablation hasn’t worked ? No, too early to jump to that conclusion. I would take the flecainide for another, say, 3 weeks then stop it to see how you do without it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekenn_green Been away for while. My concern is that doctors either just want to put you on meds, or burn away part of your heart, and don't want to look for underlying causes, too much work? Yes, too much work. Discovering the underlying cause of afib is Nobel Prize territory. The research into the cause(s) has been going on for decades, so expecting your doctor to make a breakthroughby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteJohnBM Thanks Susan, i shall look further into the cost of an ablation in Bordeaux There are several people on this forum who've had ablations there, but they may not be reading this thread. You might want to start a new topic with a title something like "Cost of an ablation in Bordeaux?"by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Plenty of people have a PM and afib, but what sort of stats are you looking for? There are plenty of PM forums, I'm sure. Just type 'pacemaker forums' into google and you'll see them.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I wasn't saying you're wrong. It just seems like a rash decision to me since you've used the drug before without problems.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Because of a single case history? You've used it a couple of times with no ill effect. In that case history the patient used it once and immediately developed new onset afib. Seems kind of different to me.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteGeorgeN Found out the reason he's not on OAC. He's got bladder cancer with a low white blood cell count. Some explanation here. He did agree to find and see a vascular surgeon. Oh, geez. Yeah, that complicates everything. `by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sick sinus is unlikely. It's not used much in the US and I've never encountered anyone who's had it. Reading up on it, it has risk factors similar to flecainide and sotalol. Like flecainide, it's contraindicated in people with structural heart disease (heart attack, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, etc). And like sotalol it can widen the QT, so it's recommend to start itby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteWilly Just to clarify while I was in Afib for two - three weeks my heart rate was mostly around 90 only while walking or getting up did it go above 100 .. Okay, that's not too bad and shouldn't be causing much harm.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
As a matter of fact.... https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,189399,189399#msg-189399by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think 24 hours is a bit alarmist but yeah, don't let yourself remain above a rate of 100 for any longer than necessary. 2-3 weeks is way too long.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh, could definitely be a comorbidity. Pretty much everything cardiovascular is a comorbidity for everything else cardiovascular.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotePixie As you know, my mind goes into over-thinking/anxiety mode! And that's exactly what it's doing now. Your doctors aren't alarmed about the PACs because there's no reason to be. Unless you're experiencing thousands per day or they're causing symptoms, they present no threat to you. They're just an annoyance. If you're reading something that says oby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
He needs to see a vascular surgeon. No way afib is responsible for his peripheral vascular disease. He needs to be on an OAC stat, get a PVD consult ASAP, and then maybe think about an ablation... or not. If he wants to go for one I agree a top-tier doc like Natale is the go-to doc, but I think it should be his last priority after he deals with his PVD.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Okay, thank you for clarifying. Your left atrium is dilated, not your LAA. A dilated left atrium is common among people with afib, but I've never heard of a dilated left atrial appendage (LAA).by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I agree with Daisy. You need to get your dehydration and the accompanying electrolyte loss under control before you do anything more about your afib. If you do that and still suffer afib episodes, then it's time to go to drugs and ablation. Until then, quit doing saunas in hot weather. Drink twice as much water per day as you're drinking now. And when it's really hot and you'rby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
An episode per month lasting 12-24 hours? Yep, I would definitely either begin an antiarrhythmic or seek an ablation. I don't know if you knew this, but rate control drugs don't actually prevent or stop afib; they only lower heart rate and BP. Lowering the rate once you go into afib is important, but depending on the antiarrhythmic chosen, you might be able to switch to using a rate conby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM