The fact that they've done any PFA procedures at all is a good sign because it means they were selected to participate in the trials. Random EPs don't get that opportunity. What I've heard recently is that PFA may be approved within the year. One source said maybe as early as this summer, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that. I would guess that early 2024 is moreby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Even with your toned down description it still doesn't sound right. Pericardial effusions come in matters of degree, so you can't rely on a lack of shortness of breath. I would call the NP for sure. A few weeks of a colchicine prescription might be warranted.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
He's aggressive but that shouldn't result in chest pain. Maybe a little dull ache but nothing that could be described as screaming pain, or even close. This is not normal and could indicate a pericardial effusion. You need to contact the NP assigned to you and let them know as soon as possible.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKen Could the blanking period be as long as 7 months? Not likely, but what other explanation is there? For you it apparently was. Unusual but not unheard of.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
https://www.mdedge.com/cardiology/article/262023/preventive-care/dabigatran-recalled-over-potential-carcinogen QuoteAscend Laboratories is recalling 10 lots of the oral anticoagulant dabigatran etexilate capsules (75 mg and 150 mg) because of unacceptable levels of a potential carcinogen. The nationwide recall, to the consumer level, is because of the detection of the nitrosamine impurity,by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesaulger Dr Wolf mentions possible atrial flutter in patients who have had several unsuccessful catheter ablations, due to the scarring inside the heart. It's not just patients who've had prior ablations. Flutter is a common complication of Maze procedures regardless of prior ablations, and the only way to deal with that is drugs or an ablation. That's why hybrid procedures tby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoteggheld Also, it makes you take an extra 1000 strps/day and sleep less. What are strps?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteYuxi Gloaming, how is "success rate" defined? The generally accepted definition is one year free of sustained atrial arrhythmias without the use of antiarrhythmic or rate control drugs. Be careful. I've seen more than one published study that counted patients relying on antiarrhythmic drugs as "successful."by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekeeferbdeefer I have vagal afib and it most definitely progressed. From once a year to ten times a month over about a ten year span. Would it have gone to persistent? I have no idea. But it clearly got worse over time. That almost exactly describes me except that it was about an 8-year period. I have no doubt it was headed toward persistence.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You thought the forum software had been updated? No, the main site was completely revamped, but the forum software has remained unchanged. That's a whole different project and hasn't been started yet.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDovewing go for wolf mini maze and its over and no more thinners...check it out You need to start qualifying these statements. A Maze procedure isn't necessarily a one-and-done and it doesn't necessarily free you from anticoagulants.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDovewing look into wolf mini maze...and its over...also no thinners anymore Maybe. Atrial flutter is a very common complication of the Maze procedure, and guess what's needed to correct that? Yep, an ablation. In fact, it's so common that an ablation is often combined with the Maze in a single procedure. And whether you need anticoagulants later or not mostly depends on your CHAby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's incorrect that a Watchman requires lifelong anticoagulants. The FDA recommends lifelong aspirin, but many doctors disagree and don't prescribe it. I have a Watchman and I was given the choice of aspirin, 1/2 dose Eliquis, or nothing. I chose 1/2 dose Eliquis for reasons unrelated to the Watchman. Above all, the Atriclip is heart surgery and therefore comes with much greater riskby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There's no harm in doing the test. If you don't really notice your afib when the rate is kept down by metoprolol, my guess is you're not going to feel much different, but I could be wrong and you'll never know until you try. That will also tell you how much the metoprolol is impacting you since you won't need to take it with the amio. Natale isn't the only EP whoby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDiana Often times, certain medical procedures require discontinuing the use of aspirin, blood thinners and anti inflammatory drugs Would an anti-coagulant be included to stop taking? Yes. "Blood thinners" and anticoagulants are the same thing. There are no drugs I know of that actually thin the blood. "Blood thinner" is a term doctors have long used as a simplificby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If the pain is of musculoskeletal origin, you should be able to affect it with movement or pressing on painful areas. For example, stretching your arms out wide and as far back as you can. Does that provoke the pain or affect it in any way? If so, yeah, it's probably muscles or tendons hurting. But if it doesn't, it's not muscles and tendons and needs to be looked at.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Virtually everyone experiences bouts of afib and assorted other arrhythmias during the blanking period after an ablation. The blanking period is 3 months long, and bouts of afib, flutter, SVT, etc. should be ignored during this period unless they're prolonged or cause other symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, chest pain, etc. What you're experiencing is perfectly normal and will mostby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDiana It really is a blood thinner but noted as anticoagulant. Not sure what you mean by that. None of the drugs used to prevent clotting actually thin the blood. They just prevent clots from forming.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Don't let the elevated resting heart rate deter you from normal exercise. There's no reason why an ablation should deter you from normal exercise for weeks or months. I never went more than a few days and I know many others who experienced the same. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "chest discomfort." Does that mean pain or a sensation of pressure? If so, I wouldby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
About a year for me, but I know an individual or two who took much longer. But what makes you sure the lowered exercise capacity and chest discomfort are caused by the rapid heartbeat? I'd book an appointment with a cardiologist to get that chest discomfort checked out. Chest discomfort is never normal.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I take it you're no longer taking sotalol since it would make no sense to combine it with metoprolol (could even be dangerous). Just so you know, sotalol is an antiarrhythmic. It's the only beta blocker that is. It's also a rate limiter like all the beta blockers.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Combining it with DOACs increases bleed risk. The general advice with NSAIDs for people on anticoagulants is you can use them but only short term (days, not more than a week). Never heard of it triggering afib and I'm very skeptical of that.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDiana Still, how does one find out how many ablations are done if the EP is young? If they're young they haven't done enough. You don't want a young EP for an ablation (two exceptions I can think of who are probably in their late 30s). You want middle age at a minimum just because that's how long it takes to get there. I know, age discrimination in spades, but there youby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi, welcome to the forum. Sorry you found the need to seek us out, but I have some good news. If you've only been on metoprolol for six weeks, the easy way to wean yourself off is to just stop taking it. You don't need to wean off. Just quit taking it tomorrow morning. The other commonly used rate limiting drug is diltiazem, but it also can increase A1C. There are others, but what miby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
A couple of studies have found caffeine to actually be mildly helpful for afib. It's a perfect example of a nocebo.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, exactly like that. Yeah, I'd love to make the active threads appear at the top too but that is mysteriously just not an option. How it can't be an option is beyond me. It's the first feature I would add to forum software. But this is fairly old forum software and it needs to be updated, but doing that is a big change and has to be done very carefully. Losing years worth ofby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
One of the positive results of the recent outage is it got me poking around the innards of the server more deeply, and one of the things I noticed is despite this forum's longevity, the disk space usage is surprisingly low. So in view of that, on a trial basis we've enabled the ability for you to add attachments to posts. The limitations are: Attachments can be no larger than 1by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm just guessing but my guess would be not until after your 6-week TEE. Prior to that they can't be sure you don't have a leak or a device related thrombus, so I would think it would be risky to stop the Eliquis. But you'll need to check with Natale's office to be sure. As an example, I had my Watchman in August, my 6-week TEE in late September, and then in early Noveby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Apologies for the downtime, folks. It took 3 people and 3 days to get the site back online -- Shannon, me, and our web expert. I'll spare you the boring tech details but it boiled down to being a delayed consequence of the web site update we did over a year ago. It's kind of like having an apparently successful ablation but then having an afib episode 2.5 months later. Well, we didby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotePeggyK For electrolyte replacement and hydration please consider R.W. Knudsen Recharge Juice Sports Beverage with electrolytes. With electrolyte (singular). It contains salt but no potassium. Good ingredient list, though.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM