Dealing with A-Fib

Castle Oak

Guest
I've been dealing with this for several years but have never had to have it treated. Well, since last September I've had numerous episodes so it's time to have something done. I've done my research having looked at the various options and I'm not thrilled about any of them. Any of you guys dealing with this? If so, what type of treatment(s) have you had? Thanks for the info.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
My mother had A-Fib for years before her death at 95. Hers was controlled with medication, don't remember what it was, but it was regulated and didn't cause her any problems. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 

crittergitter

Ten Pointer
My father has had afib for a decade or so and he generally has very few issues now. The other year he went to Duke and had a cardiac ablation procedure. After that he has only had a few episodes and the ones he has lasts a short amount of time. If it is bad enough, it was for him, this potentially can fix it. His was an 8 hour surgery and he only stayed in the hospital for about 3 nights.
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I don't have it myself, but I knew after my heart valve replacement that A-Fib was a possibility. If I'm not mistaken, Coumadin/Warfrin ("blood thinners") is one of the treatments. I'm on that medication anyway because I chose a mechanical valve. The medical community makes a big deal out of being on this medication. I, and most other folks who are on it will tell you it really isn't that big a deal. Yeah, you will bleed a bit longer with little cuts and scraps, but the idea that you are going to bleed to death over a minor cut is a complete farce. Getting cut is just a minor annoyance...and I cut myself plenty. Just keep some band aids handy. You will, however, feel the cold more .
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I posted the following on another forum in July of 2014:

I was diagnosed with A-Fib, as it is commonly called, in 2007. The kind I had would come and go away on its own. I never had to be shocked to get back in normal rhythm. The first cardiologist I went to seemed to be more interested in collecting money for stress tests than he was in helping me manage my condition.

During a conversation with a friend who had a heart valve issue, I got a number for his cardiologist at Duke. This Dr. stays booked 3 or 4 months ahead but when I called, he had had a cancellation the next week. He put me through the wringer and did not find any heart problem other than the A-Fib and the fact that I had been on a low dose of Lipitor for slightly elevated cholesterol. He recommended a fairly new medication that was more effective and had less risks/side effects than others on the market. The only catch was that I had to be monitored in the hospital for three days when I started taking it. I evaluated the alternatives and told him to schedule the hospital stay. He then told me since I had to be in the hospital anyway, he was going to schedule a couple more tests just to make sure he had not missed something with the non-invasive tests. The first test was an echo-cardiogram of the back of my heart. Everything was fine there. The second test was a heart catheterization and it was amazing to lay there and watch the doctors thread that wire through my blood vessels. I had seen an area that looked different and my Dr. pulled the image up on the monitor and explained that my right coronary artery was 90% blocked at that spot and recommend placing a stent. And if I recall correctly, I asked him what he was waiting on. Do it!

So you might say that having A-Fib actually extended my life because that blockage would have surely led to a heart attack.

Now back to the medication. I did not have any complications with it and it certainly helped reduce the frequency and severity of my intermittent episodes but it did not eliminate them all together. Most of the time it was not a quality of life issue but occasionally it was. And A-Fib patients are definitely at a higher risk for stroke since it allows pooling and possible clotting of blood in the heart. Most patients are on some type of blood thinner to reduce the stroke risk. With the improved control with the medication, after much discussion with the Dr., I took a calculated risk by staying on an aspirin regiment rather than warfarin and my Dr. and I sure were glad I was not on warfarin when I had my fall in 2011 and broke my pelvis.

All the research I have done on A-Fib indicates that it tends to get worse as you age. The Dr. and I have had several discussions over the years about an invasive procedure that can possibly eliminate the A-Fib all together. We discussed the risks and the advances in technology that have been made to reduce the risks and improve the success rate of the Catheter Ablation procedure versus staying on the medication with the stroke risk.

I decided to have the ablation. Spent most of Monday at Duke getting pre-op tests and paperwork done. Checked in at 6:15 yesterday morning for the procedure. They rolled me into the electrophysiology lab about 7:00. That room was around 20' by 20' and jam packed with monitors, machines and people. They turned me every way but loose in the few minutes before they sent me to the twilight zone and beyond. The procedure took about an hour with another 4 hours in recovery then another 4 hours flat on my back and that was no fun. At around 6:00 yesterday evening a nurse had me up walking the hall. Then I had some issues when I tried to eat but finally worked through all of that.

It is amazing to me that yesterday morning they were threading wires around inside my heart and burning tissue to create scars to block the extraneous electrical impulses that cause the A-Fib and today, I am sitting at home on my couch.

It will take about 3 months before we know for sure whether it was 100% effective or not but so far, so good. I hope my A-Fib is history!
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I posted the following in May of 2015:

Approaching my one year anniversary of my ablation procedure. Just completed my annual turkey hunting trip to OH, NE and KS where I log 5 plus miles per day for 2 weeks on some land that definitely is a challenge from a physical exertion standpoint. I could definitely tell a difference this year versus last year. I definitely was able to handle the hill and canyon country better this year than last year.

If you have been diagnosed with a-fib or have loved ones that have, I certainly recommend that you look into an ablation procedure. It may not be the best for everyone depending on their overall health condition but it certainly has improved my overall quality of life. And pushing 70, I am still trying to pack as much enjoyment into whatever time I have left as I can.

Now to the present......I am happy to report that I am still A-Fib free and I am not on any of the A-Fib medication or on any blood thinners. Having the ablation procedure was one of the better decisions that I have made. An Ablation is still not 100% for everyone but they have made great strides to improve the outcome and mitigate the risks. The Electrophysiology Department at Duke is first class and I highly recommend them. The head of the department did my ablation procedure.
 

Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
I developed persistent A-fib a few years ago and they tried Toprol and Tikosyn, neither of which worked for more than 22 hours, so I went on Amiodarone, a highly toxic drug which worked fine but has the potential of some undesirable side effects following continued use. Finally I agreed to an ablation and my EP did a circumferential procedure where he zapped the entire circumference of all my pulmonary arteries with RF energy instead of spot zapping the nodes and I've been fine for going on 5 years now. There's a newer procedure where they insert a catheter which inflates a small balloon in the opening of the arteries which will make contact with the entire surface then they give it a shot of nitrogen and it basically does the same as the RF but is quicker and has received good reviews. Look up cryogenic ablation on Google and it should do a more thorough job of explaining it than I did.

Don't know where you live, but my work was done by Caromont Heart at Gaston Memorial and there's a 5 star EP in Charlotte (Dr. Kevin Hsu) who has a great rep too. Good luck with whipping it.

As a side note, a-fib is treatable and won't kill you, (however a clot might) but the ablation procedure isn't without risks. You might want to read a link from Medscape before deciding. The cryo method is more likely to damage things outside the heart.
 
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bubba2009

Twelve Pointer
I posted the following in May of 2015:



Now to the present......I am happy to report that I am still A-Fib free and I am not on any of the A-Fib medication or on any blood thinners. Having the ablation procedure was one of the better decisions that I have made. An Ablation is still not 100% for everyone but they have made great strides to improve the outcome and mitigate the risks. The Electrophysiology Department at Duke is first class and I highly recommend them. The head of the department did my ablation procedure.

been dealing with A-Fib since 2000 when i lived in NY i saw a Electrophysiologist now i think its time for 2nd opinion. Is your Dr still the head guy at Duke. If i could get his info would be great Thanks in advance
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
I was originally diagnosed with afib but it turned out to be EAT (ectopic atrial tachycardia). I take two pills a day and rarely have any symptoms. Surgery was an option but so far so good.
 

gobblr addict

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
My Dad had dealt with A-fib for 5 years.....first was meds, them a shock treatment, then went in for "Cryo-ablation".....has been over a year and his A-fib is still present but is just taking amiaderone now....just started. He is 75 yrs old.....The Cryo procedure is state-of-art and one I'd go with......Cardio pill rollers ultimately recommend it.....
 

manybeards

Ten Pointer
I see patients in the ER every day with A Fib..... Often times they are completely asymptomatic and the A Fib is only discovered when some other complaint is being worked up. A Fib does not always require intervention, however A Fib with RVR(Rapid Vertricular Response) requires immediate attention. Unchecked this form of A Fib can lead to life threatening arrhythmias and increase the patients risk for stroke. Often I put patients on low dose Beta Blockers like Metoprolol or Toprol and can successfully convert them into a normal sinus rhythm. New onset A Fib should always be discussed with the on call Cardiologist. If they can be chemically converted, office follow up in a day or two is acceptable. If not, the Cardiologist usually comes in and cardioverts them..... A complete cardiac work up including Bio Markers, Echo Cardiogram and Stress test are always a must. Ablation is indicated in patients who are severly symptomatic or have chronic recurrances. Starting patients on anticoagulants should only be undertaken after making certain clotting times are within normal parameters.... Stay healthy out there!
 

Firedog

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They are starting to use computer graphics to map a lot more of the heart and increase the accuracy of the procedure too. Those high end graphic based professional workstations are what I do for a living and with the strides being made in professional grade VR it will not be long until the best in the world will be able to train and walk Jr sergins through it from anywhere in the world
 
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