Heart ablation…anyone?

Has anyone out there had to have ablation therapy to fix an irregular heartbeat? Going to have this done in the near future and am curious what it is like? Something about scarring my heart with laser just makes me feel uneasy.

Dad had it done with no ill effects, went home same day. The sensors in his heart are more in sync now. Sort of like getting a new distributor cap and timing belt LOL

I am a nurse on a cardiac and floor and take care of several pts with irregular heart rhythms, usually a-fib. The ablation is usually saved as the last intervention after heart rate control meds have failed as well as anti-arrhythmics. Or if the a-fib is severely symptomatic no matter what the heart rate is. There are different types of ablations as far as what area(s) the heart that are needed to be ablated. Usually an area of the atria (the top chambers of your heart) or an area within the pulmonary veins are the culprit in producing the irregular heart beat and need to be ablated. If you already have a pacemaker, they could do a A-V node ablation, but that’s a whole different story. The procedure involves inserting a catheter(s) through the femoral vein and artery located in the groin. You are given some sedation and pain meds during the procedure but you are awake enough that you can still answer questions during the procedure. The procedure itself generally has minor discomfort, usually being a pressure sensation in the groin where the catheters are inserted. The length of the procedure depends on heart rhythm. If its a-fib, I’ve seen tests go up to 5 hrs, but they are usually around 2-3 hrs on average. If its a-flutter, it’s usually a quick 1-2 hrs procedure. (Remember these are the usual times I see, but every pts procedure is unique). After the procedure the worst thing is having to endure bed rest for up to 4-5 hrs depending on the size of catheters they had to use. The femoral vein/arteries are big blood vessels and you don’t want to spring a leak from them with getting up too early. The best thing you can do is make sure you ask your Dr. all and any questions you have. It is the Dr responsibility to share with you all the potential complications and risk factors. As well as success rates. I hope this helped you out a little bit and isn’t too wordy as I just kept rambling on. Good luck with the procedure!

Thanks for the info!!! I have about 40,000 extra PVC’s a day due to lasting effects from chemo drugs. I tried beta-blockers and they didn’t seem to help. Not sure if PVC’s are easier to ablate that atrial conditions but time witll tell. Hearing some info from firsthanders puts me at ease…so thanks again.

Oh ok. I shouldn’t have jumped to the conclusion that it was a-fib. So it must be a VT ablation with EP study? But either way, the procedure is basically the same. But the time can be very variable as previously mentioned. You might be given a little extra sedation for this procedure just to be sure you’re comfortable. I’m sure it’ll go great for you.

Hi,

I am 62 years old and just had it done a month ago. I had it done on a Thursday and was back to work the following Monday. I was awake and alert during the procedure which lasted in my case about 5 hours. There was really no discomfort at all.

Not sure what type of ablation I’m having…I will find that out in the next few days I guess. It is to treat PVC’s is all I know. Once again, thanks for the input.

hope its not as complicated as my 4-bypass good luck sir!!!

My father had it done a few years ago….The procedure went fine…then as they were removing the equipment they nicked something, and did some damage, and they placed him on a pacemaker. He is NOT pacemaker dependent, but it still is there in case anything goes too far out of wack. His irregular heartbeat is still not fixed.

FYI