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Hi Barb, At only 115bom for a short while before going back 100 and lower it as almost surely just a little run of sinus tachycardia likely triggered by the acupuncture. I have experienced on two occasions direct triggering of what so thought was flutter but likely was a sinus tachycardia at similar speeds when having work done on my chronic neck problems. Recall I had to wear a modified Floriby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi JohnBM The report you quote about the number of ablations being done not having a bearing on success is wrong. A number of other reports have confirmed a strong connection between operator and center experience and both increased success rates and significantly decreased complication rates. The model used for screening in this report no doubt put the spot like on these other contributors whby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi PH, I think you might have the term confused with structural and/or electrical remodeling. Remapping isn't something that happens to the heart or cells within the heart. Mapping is a technical process for identifying certain areas of the heart tissue such as inside the left atrium and using Electroanatomical mapping systems like Carto 3 or the FIRM rotor and focal mapping or the non-iby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for your experience Neil, It's good to reinforce the reality of the situation and particularly for folks who have long standing persistent AFIB. There is a huge gulf between otherwise good and decent paroxysmal AFIB ablationists, or which there are a pretty good number now, and those very few who one would want on their short list for persistent AFIB.. especially when the persistenby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great to hear PH, and superb choice as you know! Now I get the context for your PM to me a while ago, I just got settled into my Dutch apartment for the next week before taking the bullet train to Brussels to see my Endo, then return home after 6 more days there so I missed the first part posted above. Anyway, I saw your PM first off after opening my Mac and getting it online here in the Neby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good to hear from you here Mark and I'm very pleased, and not one little bit surprised, at how well you've done with the choice you made. Being a long time successful physician yourself I know how thoroughly and deliberately you researched the whole process and asked me the kind of in-depth questions that a person who really knows medicine might ask during our calls over the year and aby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Peter, That's fine, you can get plenty of help here interpreting the test and you can call Exatest themselves and arrange to speak with Dr Burt Silver who runs the firm and he will review your findings ... He's a very nice and knowledgable man in this area . Usually he can talk in a Friday but you have to set it up in advance. After I had fine six Exatests over several years whenby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi barb, different docs use different terms in different ways, especially if the Cardio who did the TEE isn't especially familiar with ablation evaluation. Just get a copy of your TEE and send it to Dr Natale. We can talk over the phone and will tell you how. No worries though I imagine a lot of what they are referring too is a result of the significant amount of preexisting fibrosis Dr Nby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Smackman and Tsco. Thanks for the article posting Smackman. This new wrinkle in using the nContact epicardial ablation tool is a modification of the hybrid approach which has proven successful for difficult cases, especially those who did not have the advantage of a top tier ablationist skilled in doing more extensive endocardial ablation protocol for persistent and long-standing persistentby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Barb, Yes first and last ablation it is .... until otherwise notified which hopefully will be never. :-) And just skipping a BB regardless of dose can trigger a short term spike in HR from the rebound effect. This can be even more pronounced had you been taking a higher daily dose, but some of that HR increase is no doubt from your ablation still. When Dr N has to branch out more around tby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Barb, It was because you skipped your BB combined with the somewhat faster baseline HR from a more extensive first ablation. Nothing at all to worry about as it was sinus tachycardia. You probably notice its slowed down some now after taking the missed dose and getting a good night sleep, right? Be sure your electrolytes are good too and you might either be too low on potassium or perhapby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good to hear Smackman, The anxiety is something you are familiar with at least from before the ablation too and it will lessen some no doubt as well. I wish you good luck on the IC front. I've heard of some good results from a well known clinic doing Stem cell therapy for that condition, and if I can find the link again will forward it too you. I havent yet researched it but they have repby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great news Chris, Other than I would have preferred that you not have to go through the LAA issue. We can't control how our hearts manifest this condition. Just be very glad your LAA decided to do a 200bpm 1 to 1 flutter while Dr N was still in there and watching in real time! That was lucky stars indeed, rather than have it first kick in while perhaps midway through a transatlantic fby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi All, Im back home from the 2nd Annual International Symposium on the Left Atrial Appendage held in Orlando last week. It was a very interesting and informative conference and very well attended by a broad range representing all of Cardiology. Interventional Cardiologist, Cardiovascular Surgeons as well as many EPs were in attendance and the unique perspective of all the major sub-specialtieby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Doreen, Short of making the trip to Austin to see Dr Natale himself, you would be hard pressed to do any better than Dr Schweikert. He can definitely handle your paroxysmal case and is one of those I would trust too for a persistent AFIB process. Also, in that top tier is Dr. Dhanujaya (DJ) Lakkiready who is really wonderful too and a ver nice man and very outgoing and intelligent. Dr Lakby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Lynda, So you got your second ablation, good to hear, I bet you are glad its over with, did you return to Dr W? In any event, keep in mind this can all settle down over time during the blanking period. I suppose what they mean by 'atrial runs', which is a rather non-specific term to be sure, is atrial tachycardia or flutter, perhaps runs of AFIB. The could even imply a lot ofby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Betty, For specific studies, they have to enroll a defined number of people who meet the given study design criteria and so each one will have a select number from their full pool who they will recruit from their overall list of ablation patients. For a prospective study like the one above they chose all of those with paroxysmal AFIB that they ablated between the end of 2000 and January ofby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Jean, Glad to hear things are settling down a bit, one factor in your longer recovery is likely not only from the very extensive ablation you required with the more advanced fibrosis indicated on your ablation report but also from the long duration of the procedure at 7 hours which is a very long time these days for even a big ablation like yours. As we discussed on the phone, it was appareby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great review Deluge (I get the play on words with your name ... Just be glad you got it done, but your is a good learning lesson too as you were clearly knocking on persistent AFIB's door and with growing to a size 48 LA that is not the direction you want to go. Many while they are still paroxysmal think they have plenty of time to wait it out but that can be a delimma as it's veryby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Barb, Your heart of fine so no worries. The fibrosis is not that uncommon in people our age, especially women. Your LVEF Left ventricular ejection fraction is still in the normal range and is good so don't fret over this, its just that it adds more of an emphasis on getting your TEE and, if need be after the results, continuing on with the anti-coagulation program. Its not a real woby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Barb, That was quick, I meet Dr Barrett last week and told him about the afibbers gang he was following up on for Dr N. He's a nice fellow and for sure there would be no issue as soon as he heard your request as you now see his response. yes its roughly a 40% to 50% chance of being able to stop the blood thinner but as we discussed over the phone right after your ablation and readinby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
A field report about Smackman's ablation today in Austin. It all went very well, and it was very interesting watching much of it unfold with about 170 EPs from all over in the large amphitheater-like video education room at St David's Med Center. It turns out Smackman has persistent but not long standing persistent and thus Dr Natale stopped just short of full LAA isolation afterby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Erich, You are welcome, and to address your three questions above... 1. Your Cardio no doubt is well meaning, but the odds of any of the supplements making this worse is not that big an issue and, for instance in the unlikely, but possible, event Taurine isn't needed for you or even that it helps trigger AF more, you will learn that quickly with little to no harm and will know to drby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Nancy, Here is the link from our AFIB Resources link above on this page to Hans' very good Post Ablation Care' article that has just about all you would need. A few other additions that will help as well are Vitamin D3 in sufficient doses starting with 5,000IU a day, and use an oil-based Vitamin D3 rather than a powder based supplement. Also Meriva brand Curcumin is a superiorby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi researcher I too expect this whole area of research and development to pay real dividends as the years go by, and likely in ways not fully anticipated now. Although I expect a real boon will be in better diagnosing or arrhythmias and follow up after ablations and monitoring and adjusting drug therapy via the non-invasive vest-like systems will really help fine tune the diagnosis and could bby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Liz, That serious adverse event rate of 9% was derived from a quite small group of patients at obviously a not very experienced center and marginal EPs as well on average to get that bad of results... In the much larger study of 80,000 ablation patients across the US over ten years they noted a major difference between complication rates with more experienced EPs and centers compared to the 8by Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Jean, Thanks for the lengthy and very thorough ablation report. You did require a very extensive ablation for sure which is understandable what with your age, being female and significant presence of wide spread right and left atrial fibrosis. You just had to have the whole basketful, right! Sorry you are still having a lot of activity, but do keep in mind that some people wind up havinby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Tsco. The process of progression from a right sided flutter or tachycardia into AFIB is a common one and happens all the time whether or not you had any ablation to address those other arrhythmias located at first in the early stages in the right atrium mostly. So don't worry too much about making it worse. The issue with the LAA, is simple. If you have a demonstrable source of AFIBby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Paul for the feedback for Sally, The theory of not wanting to stir up the devil again by daring to challenge their ablation work and thus perhaps being misled into ablating a few spots that may not have become direct triggers for AFIB is common in EU circles as they are afraid they might be chasing their tails trying to ablate every little blip they see on the voltage mapping board. Thiby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Don't worry about it Smackman, You'll be fine, at worst case you slip into AFIB for a while longer making one less step for Dr N to trigger during the early phase of the ablation. Stopping Toprol from only 25mg a day total won't be rough at all. You may not notice hardly anything. You can do that 5 days before the ablation anyway, since you are on the ER form of Toprol. Hadby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM