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Catheter Ablation, any one had it done

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  • 28-10-2014 8:10pm
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭


    Ive been told I need to have this done to correct some heart problem

    Curious as to whether anyone here ad gone trough it and could they share their experience a bit, as Id be a bit nervous due to the lenght of the procedure. Ive heard it can take up to or 5 hours :eek:


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    #2
    exgp
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭exgp


    I had it done in 2010. Uncomfortable but well worth it as fine since.


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    #3
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    exgp wrote: »
    I had it done in 2010. Uncomfortable but well worth it as fine since.


    Good to hear, Thanks!! :)


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    #4
    nilhg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,122 ✭✭✭nilhg


    I had mine done in Feb, in St Vincents, not something that I was looking forward to but in the end not a bad experience at all, I have very little memory of the procedure, I remember coming round at one stage and being given a moist swab type thing for my dry mouth but apart from that not much really.

    The procedure itself was a great success for me, I took the day after off and was back in the yard on easy duty the next day after.

    Any questions just ask or feel free to PM me.


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    #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    nilhg wrote: »
    I had mine done in Feb, in St Vincents, not something that I was looking forward to but in the end not a bad experience at all, I have very little memory of the procedure, I remember coming round at one stage and being given a moist swab type thing for my dry mouth but apart from that not much really.

    The procedure itself was a great success for me, I took the day after off and was back in the yard on easy duty the next day after.

    Any questions just ask or feel free to PM me.



    Glad it went well for you. :)

    Did you stay in hospital overnight, may I ask? Also, how many hours did the procedure last, was it hours, can you remember?

    Thanks a million :)


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    #6
    nilhg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,122 ✭✭✭nilhg


    Jake1 wrote: »
    Glad it went well for you. :)

    Did you stay in hospital overnight, may I ask? Also, how many hours did the procedure last, was it hours, can you remember?

    Thanks a million :)

    I had to stay under observation in the CCU unit ( I think that's what it's called any way) for one night, was let out about 10 the next morning, this is purely precautionary, because of the nature of the procedure you need to be closely observed to make sure there is no unexpected side effects or even bleeding from the site where the catheter went in.

    I have no real idea how long the procedure took in my case, IIRC you're not under a general anesthetic but heavily sedated, I remember waking up back in the ward and having soup for lunch, I went up around 10 but there was prep time before I went in and recovery after, my better half said it was funny watching me try and use the spoon while I was still under the influence. From the reading I did before hand the length taken depends on the underlying cause and the difficulty in finding the site/sites to be ablated, in my case I was having SVT corrected and they found the site pretty quickly and the first ablation was successful.

    There are some really excellent videos on youtube concerning the procedure, but whether you want to look at them really depends on your disposition I suppose, if you're nervous maybe better not.

    I should say too that one side effect of having the job done was that I was a well person in a ward with some really seriously ill people and I got to see first hand the quality of the care given to them, I couldn't praise highly enough the nurses and staff of the ward, they were flat to the boards all night but never flinched for a moment, our health service gets a lot of flack but there are some seriously impressive people in there doing some great work.

    Hope that helps, any more I can answer just ask.


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    #7
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I'll be having what you had, SVT correction. So hopefuly it wont take too long.

    The thing, Im most nervous about is adverse bleeding, so in one sense Im kind of glad I may be staying overnight.

    Was there a lot of staff in the room when it was being done?

    I also hoping they will give me some advance calming meds, post op. I due to see Cardiologist again in Feb, so I will ask her more about it.

    I can imagine the sights you saw in the CCU. Agre totally about the staff, they can be fantastic alright.


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    #8
    nilhg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,122 ✭✭✭nilhg


    Jake1 wrote: »
    I'll be having what you had, SVT correction. So hopefuly it wont take too long.

    The thing, Im most nervous about is adverse bleeding, so in one sense Im kind of glad I may be staying overnight.

    Was there a lot of staff in the room when it was being done?

    I also hoping they will give me some advance calming meds, post op. I due to see Cardiologist again in Feb, so I will ask her more about it.

    I can imagine the sights you saw in the CCU. Agre totally about the staff, they can be fantastic alright.

    I reckon there were about 15 staff in the Cath Lab when I was wheeled in, no idea what they all did but reassuring that they were on hand if needed.

    Best of luck with your ablation, it's been a great success for me, I was on Cardicor to control it, which worked reasonably well but not totally because I didn't want to go on too high a dose, I found it left me tired and sleepy in the evenings.

    Two months after I had the ablation I rode my first bike race (at 47 yrs of age) never would have been able to do that before, would have been on the side of the track doing vagus manoeuvres to stop the SVT after a lap or two, it really is a fantastic procedure, especially for SVT.


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    #9
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Thanks so much for answering. I feel a bit more reassured now. I'm delighted all went so well and that you seem to have gotten your life back. I'm also on tablets and I feel so exhausted all the time so looking forward to getting some real energy.

    Thanks again, much appreciated


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    #10
    harvester of sorrow
    Registered Users Posts: 832 ✭✭✭harvester of sorrow


    Hi all ,sorry for hijacking the thread!!
    May I ask how bad was the svt that you required ablation?

    I have sufferd from svt all my life,I get episodes every once in a while.
    Haven't got one in quite a bit ,but I reckon I'm due one!

    Got a bad scare about two years ago when I nearly blacked out in the gym,as my heart rate was already up, but even the ECG was done and faxed to my cardiologist he still didn't recommend ablation.Just prescribed beta blockers,which I still have never taken.
    All I really get now is the sensation of my heart stopping for a milli second and followed by a "big" beat and everything is fine.
    Even after these symptoms ablation was still not advised.

    Do ye find stress or certain types of food set it off?

    Ps. I'm not looking for medical advice mods,just how other people are dealing with the same condition.


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    #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    For me, stress can set ii off, but I have also had episodes, when I was stress free, doing nothing, taking it easy, and BAM!!! :pac:

    My heart beats just kept getting faster each episode. Constantly feeling like I have run a marathon.
    Also chest pains were getting worse. Ended up in A&E.

    I got a Holter Monitor for about three days, and after they got the results from it, it was recomended I have the ablation.

    I am currently on Calcium Blockers, and they make me feel like I have been sedated some days. Kind of getting a bit more used to them now, but a first, I was constantly dosing off.


    Perhaps your GP feels you dont warrant the treatment, if they are not that often and dont last too long.

    My episodes became more frequent, and were more painful, and lasted longer.


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    #12
    harvester of sorrow
    Registered Users Posts: 832 ✭✭✭harvester of sorrow


    Thanks Jake!

    You seem to have it bad enough alright.I haven't gotten any chest pains ....yet!
    It's something I'm very conscious of ,as to when the next episode will occur ...will it be while I'm watching TV,driving the car,swimming,under a barbell in the gym!! As you know it's something that's always at the back of your mind!

    I wish you luck in your procedure,post back and let us know how it goes.:)

    All the best.


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    #13
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    harvester of sorrow wrote: »
    Thanks Jake!

    You seem to have it bad enough alright.I haven't gotten any chest pains ....yet!
    It's something I'm very conscious of ,as to when the next episode will occur ...will it be while I'm watching TV,driving the car,swimming,under a barbell in the gym!! As you know it's something that's always at the back of your mind!

    I wish you luck in your procedure,post back and let us know how it goes.:)

    All the best.

    Count yourself lucky, you have no chest pains so :))

    I know that feeling of being very conscious of it. I get scared of when it will happen again too. There is no rhyme r reason to them , it .

    Thanks for your kind words. I will indeed let you know how it goes.

    take care,

    Jake :)


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    #14
    nilhg
    Registered Users Posts: 5,122 ✭✭✭nilhg


    harvester of sorrow wrote: »
    Hi all ,sorry for hijacking the thread!!
    May I ask how bad was the svt that you required ablation?

    I have sufferd from svt all my life,I get episodes every once in a while.
    Haven't got one in quite a bit ,but I reckon I'm due one!

    Got a bad scare about two years ago when I nearly blacked out in the gym,as my heart rate was already up, but even the ECG was done and faxed to my cardiologist he still didn't recommend ablation.Just prescribed beta blockers,which I still have never taken.
    All I really get now is the sensation of my heart stopping for a milli second and followed by a "big" beat and everything is fine.
    Even after these symptoms ablation was still not advised.

    Do ye find stress or certain types of food set it off?

    Ps. I'm not looking for medical advice mods,just how other people are dealing with the same condition.

    I had it for years and years and did what so many men do and basically ignored it, it was very intermittent and would go reasonably quickly so I wasn't particularly worried.

    A couple of years ago I took up cycling and it was harder to ignore, most of the time if I just eased off the attacks would resolve after a minute or so but I had a few where I had to stop and get off the bike till it went, after a while I discovered a manoeuvre (a sort of a squat, while holding my breath) which would stop it pretty quickly.

    After a while cycling I got a garmin with HRM display and I got quite a fright when I got the first attack with it on and saw my HR spike up to 240BPM. I had mentioned it previously to my GP and he wasn't too worried about it, when I brought a printout in to him he sort of changed his tune and referred me to St Vincents, where we were lucky enough to catch a episode on a stress test with full ECG.

    My electrocardiologist basically told me I had 3 choices, continue as I was, I wasn't going to die from it, or take beta blockers to manage it, or to have the ablation, I was pretty certain about having the ablation from the start but went on the beta blockers while I was waiting.

    The main triggers for me were stomach problems ( gas, bloating) and the strenuous exercise.

    329415.JPG

    The image above gives an idea of the spikes I used to get going from roughly 170 BPM to 210/220.


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    #15
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,025 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    nilhg wrote: »
    I had it for years and years and did what so many men do and basically ignored it, it was very intermittent and would go reasonably quickly so I wasn't particularly worried.

    A couple of years ago I took up cycling and it was harder to ignore, most of the time if I just eased off the attacks would resolve after a minute or so but I had a few where I had to stop and get off the bike till it went, after a while I discovered a manoeuvre (a sort of a squat, while holding my breath) which would stop it pretty quickly.

    After a while cycling I got a garmin with HRM display and I got quite a fright when I got the first attack with it on and saw my HR spike up to 240BPM. I had mentioned it previously to my GP and he wasn't too worried about it, when I brought a printout in to him he sort of changed his tune and referred me to St Vincents, where we were lucky enough to catch a episode on a stress test with full ECG.

    My electrocardiologist basically told me I had 3 choices, continue as I was, I wasn't going to die from it, or take beta blockers to manage it, or to have the ablation, I was pretty certain about having the ablation from the start but went on the beta blockers while I was waiting.

    The main triggers for me were stomach problems ( gas, bloating) and the strenuous exercise.

    329415.JPG

    The image above gives an idea of the spikes I used to get going from roughly 170 BPM to 210/220.

    bloody hell :eek::eek::eek: 240 ??

    must have been shattered. Especially, if they happed during an already strenous bike ride
    Its so fantastic , that you are now free of that, isnt it?? :)

    Strangley, my Doctor was almost the same as yours, unconcerned at first, but then shocked when she got the results. I think she possibly thought I was just having panic attacks.I was recorded at 180 -200 beats

    I was like '' See, told yis :) ''

    I have to go for Stress test next. I go on Monday for that. I think is part ofthe pre-ablation procedure, could be wrong though.

    Thanks nilhg


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