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The search form is fairly primitive. Enter the doctor's last name only, nothing else. A list of doctors with that last name will appear. Look through the list, pic the doc you're looking for, and click the search button. Now look through the list of procedures that comes up for that doctor. You're looking for ICD codes related to catheter ablations. (Someone posted a list of thby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I see no evidence in the Medicare data that Dr. Upadhyay was doing ablations as of 2015 (the latest data available). He only finished his fellowship in electrophysiology in 2014, so it's no surprise he wasn't doing ablations in 2015. Looking at his profiles at the U. of Chicago, his twitter profile, his publications, and so forth, his expertise appears to be mainly in the pacer world. Iby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteLouise ggheld, I’m not getting any procedure done. I was using it as an example because Carey had stated that “aspirin disables your platelets permanently.” That didn’t make sense to me because if platelets never rebuild, why stay on aspirin forever…. You left out the part about 10% of your platelets being replaced daily, so you're never entirely out of platelets. If you're taby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotePompon Even if it's now considered first line treatment, I can't imagine a cardiologist saying "go for an ablation" without first trying at least one drug. I imagine it's very rare going to see directly an EP when one's heart rhythm goes crazy. A cardiologist who's fully up to date on their continuing medical education might do exactly that because multiby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
He's always taking new patients.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
First line.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Well, you kind of lost me with the various recordings. I'm not sure I remember what the point was. But for sure doctors have been analyzing ECGs with calipers for as long as there have been ECGs, and that's always been the default method of diagnosing afib. Sure, you can bring new technology into play, but my point was simply that you don't really need technology to identify afib iby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, it eventually returns to normal. The length of time it remains elevated varies from one person to the next, but it can be a surprisingly long time, upwards of a year for some people.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Pacemakers that can sense afib and pace you out of them were tried a few years back, but they simply didn't work well.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteGeorgeN You will see a lot of big discrepancies between nearly every pair of R waves, but it is still NSR. If you don't plot it out, you miss this. There are other patterns of ectopics, within NSR that can also show a lot of big RR discrepancies. That image is very low res and blurry, but I don't see big RR discrepancies between nearly every pair of R waves. I only see occasionby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
That's a really boring report that should make you happy. There's nothing in there to be even a little bit concerned about.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d You would think then Eliquis would break up the thrombosis. It prevents it from forming in the first place.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Natale himself tells patients coming to him for a first ablation that the need for a second "touch up" procedure is always possible. Touch up ablations are generally much shorter and simpler, often involving only a burn or two. However, you're not a first ablation, so you shouldn't expect the need for an additional procedure. What he'll be doing is a touch up. So most likby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, poor blood flow through the LAA is a cause of thrombosis. That's why you're on Eliquis and why a Watchman would be beneficial for you. You LAA is silent because it was isolated during your ablation. It wasn't something that happened afterwards. Mine isn't silent but it's dysfunctional, and that's true of most of the people I know who've had their LAA isoby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you want to keep a record then go with George's suggestion. But if you just want to check a recording quickly without numbers of calculations, go down to the nearest store that sells office or school supplies and buy an inexpensive protractor. You can then easily measure the distance between R waves without the need for numbers and computations. Just pick a starting point in the recordinby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotePixie Carey, thank you for the thorough explanation. The article was written by John Mandrola and that did put up a red flag for me. Is the rebuttal written by Shannon one of the comments to the article? No, I linked to Shannon's article directly so maybe you didn't notice the link. Here it is again https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/853571by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotePixie I am so confused about this. Can the LAA be ablated or is a closure done and no ablation is involved? Is it always necessary to have a watchman implanted if you have an LAA procedure? The LAA can be ablated. Mine was, and there are others in this group who also had theirs ablated. If the LAA is a source of afib or flutter, simply closing it would make you safer from strokes but itby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteMerckx I do however get what I have been told are ectopic heart beats and I would get hundreds (every couple of minutes) in a day. I have been told that they are harmless and aren't doing me any damage. However I am skeptical, mainly because I don't know what they are or why they are happening. My GP and Cardiologist seem to have just brushed them off and I haven't had a chancby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You're unlikely to find anyone who has experience with it because it's rarely if ever used. Even major trauma centers rarely use it because the half-life of Eliquis and the other NOACs is so short that it's rarely needed (about 12 hours or less). I listened to a trauma surgeon from NYU Medical Center discussing this recently and he said of the thousands of trauma patients he'sby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteLouise Carey, thank you for your clarification. It was my understanding that platelets start “rebuilding” after 4 days of discontinuing aspirin. I will research this further. If I am having oral surgery (or any surgery), I am told to stop aspirin for a week before — are you saying that if I’ve been taking aspirin for several years and there is a bleeding issue in the dentist’s chair, I woby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
My only credentials are what I've learned over the last 20 years since afib and I became acquainted. I don't expect anyone to take my word for anything based on credentials. I've already mentioned the guys with the credentials I largely base my opinions on. You did catch an error on my part about the FDA protocol. It's not 325 mg, so my bad. The FDA protocol is low-dose aby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Tom, please read your private messages.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotetobherd My question is whether getting the Watchman is the best device to be able to get off of Eliquis, and if so, does it need to be done by someone who is a top doctor, like Dr. Natale? My cardiologist says they have been doing them for awhile very successfully here on Long Island, but I hestitate as I've trusted any heart procedures to be done by Dr. Natale. I am not in a hurry...tby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The sotalol is almost certainly the culprit. It's a beta blocker and as such it can suck the life right out of you. (It does for me.) Talk to the nurse about reducing the dosage further, or switching you to something else.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I've got some thoughts and info on this but I don't have the time to post a useful response right now. I'll get back to this subject tomorrow.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There's no reason to go the ER and it's unlikely they will do anything useful for you with a heart rate of only 82-115. Just keep taking the metoprolol because that will keep your heart rate down. If you're CHADS-Vasc score is 1 then you can get by without the Eliquis, but personally that's not a risk I would take. You do realize that Eliquis will have absolutely no effectby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great news, Tom! You'll feel better in less than a week. Promise.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
What George said. Looks like NSR with lots of noise, and noise usually comes from movement. Ever notice how if you're getting an EKG done the tech will ask you to stop talking and moving during the recording? Even just the movement from talking can disrupt a recording. Make sure you're sitting comfortably with your arms resting on something so you don't have to hold them up. Iby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
His pacer is rather old. Newer ones are designed to be more MRI tolerant and usually have a mode they can be set to during the MRI that protects them.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm glad you were at least able to rule out one cause, and I seriously doubt your ablation caused any sort of compromise of your heart function. Ablations generally just don't do that. Digestive issues could definitely be part of it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM