Guest guest Posted February 10, 2003 Report Share Posted February 10, 2003 Hello All, I just found this group and I am new not only to this group but to AFIB as well. I am glad for the opportunity to share my problems with " veterans " and possibly get some advice. I am 58 male , have a known heart condition for the last 3.5 years (mild IHD and nonobstructive myocardial hypertrophy) During this whole period I suffered constantly of palpitations that were a real nuissance but all cardiologists I've seen said I should stop counting and worrying about them as they are benign. 5 weeks ago I had my first AFIB event( syncope, nausea, the whole works)was hospitalized for 3 days, released still in AFIB with nothing but Coumadin treatment , in addition to the betha blocker I was taking ever since my heart problems started. A day later on my way to see a cardio physiologist , I suddenly felt better and in his office it was confirmed that it returned to sinus by itself. He did not recommend any medication until there will be a recurrence, which came 3 weeks later - except this time I was told it's not Fibrillation but Flutter. I was put on 2x200 mg Amiodarone and returned to sinus the next day. I am having spells of lightheadedness, diziness and weakness several times since then -not sure if its the sideffects or episodes of AF. Last night I saw again the cardiophysiologist -said I am better off with AFlutter - strongly recommended that I undergo RF ablation which according to him has a high success rate in his clinic (I live in Israel) and a better than fair chance to also preclude or reduce A Fibrillation. He also mentioned that in case it won't prevent Fibrillation , he would recommend ablation in a specilized hospital near Bordeaux, France (he performs it himself but admitted that there the success rate is much higher which seemed fair enough ) I am a bit confused as he said himself that Amiodarone takes time to have effect but on the other hand he recommends ablation right away. Any sugestions? Thanks for taking the time to read this Yossie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 11, 2003 Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 Yossi, I extracted this from another site: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/messages/30233a.html " Radio frequency ablation for atrial flutter is a successful cure in the majority of cases. RF for atrial fibrillation is a long complicated procedure that is not nearly as successful. Actually, it is still somewhat experimental as a cure for atrial fibrillation. What can be done in cases of severe atrial fibrillation is RF ablation of the conduction system linking the atrium to the ventricle; this can help control the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, though a permanent pacemaker will need to be implanted, and the need for coumadin would still be present. These are pretty sophisticated options and an expert opinion from a large medical center might be a good idea. " I would think that before you consider an invasive procedure, you might get a 2nd opinion from another cardiologist. Many of us are treated by drugs which seem to help. I've been on Sotalol and it seems to have my AFIBS under control. Good Luck. > Hello All, > I just found this group and I am new not only to this group but to > AFIB as well. I am glad for the opportunity to share my problems > with " veterans " and possibly get some advice. > I am 58 male , have a known heart condition for the last 3.5 years > (mild IHD and nonobstructive myocardial hypertrophy) > During this whole period I suffered constantly of palpitations that > were a real nuissance but all cardiologists I've seen said I should > stop counting and worrying about them as they are benign. > 5 weeks ago I had my first AFIB event( syncope, nausea, the whole > works)was hospitalized for 3 days, released still in AFIB with > nothing but Coumadin treatment , in addition to the betha blocker I > was taking ever since my heart problems started. > A day later on my way to see a cardio physiologist , I suddenly felt > better and in his office it was confirmed that it returned to sinus > by itself. He did not recommend any medication until there will be a > recurrence, which came 3 weeks later - except this time I was told > it's not Fibrillation but Flutter. I was put on 2x200 mg Amiodarone > and returned to sinus the next day. I am having spells of > lightheadedness, diziness and weakness several times since then -not > sure if its the sideffects or episodes of AF. > Last night I saw again the cardiophysiologist -said I am better off > with AFlutter - strongly recommended that I undergo RF ablation > which according to him has a high success rate in his clinic (I live > in Israel) and a better than fair chance to also preclude or reduce > A Fibrillation. He also mentioned that in case it won't prevent > Fibrillation , he would recommend ablation in a specilized hospital > near Bordeaux, France (he performs it himself but admitted that > there the success rate is much higher which seemed fair enough ) > I am a bit confused as he said himself that Amiodarone takes time to > have effect but on the other hand he recommends ablation right away. > Any sugestions? > Thanks for taking the time to read this > Yossie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 11, 2003 Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 Hi Yossie, and welcome! We're glad you found us. Good to know you are on Coumadin -- I think that's very important. If I were you, I would follow your cardio physiologist's advice to inquire about ablation with the folks near Bordeaux, France (I suspect this may be the famous Dr. Hassaguirre, who has performed the procedure on several members in our group). Amiodarone doesn't have a very good reputation among many of our members due to its potentially serious side effects. Good luck! Let us know what you decide and how you are doing. Sandy, 55, USA New here- AFIB/AFLUT(?) Hello All, I just found this group and I am new not only to this group but to AFIB as well. Yossie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 11, 2003 Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 > Yossi, I extracted this from another site: > http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/messages/30233a.html > > " Radio frequency ablation for atrial flutter is a successful cure in > the majority of cases. RF for atrial fibrillation is a long > complicated procedure that is not nearly as successful. Actually, it > is still somewhat experimental as a cure for atrial fibrillation. What > can be done in cases of severe atrial fibrillation is RF ablation of > the conduction system linking the atrium to the ventricle; this can > help control the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, though a permanent > pacemaker will need to be implanted, and the need for coumadin would > still be present. These are pretty sophisticated options and an expert > opinion from a large medical center might be a good idea. " > That info is 3-1/2 yrs old! when you look up this info it is important to look at the DATES! It's come a long way since then & I'm sure still has a long way to go, but no sense looking at info on treatments back 3-1/2 yrs ago! just my opinion & thought this should be considered by all---marcelle in FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 > > >I was put on 2x200 mg Amiodarone >and returned to sinus the next day. > Dear Yossie, It's somewhat surprising that you'd be put on amiodarone as your first antiarrhythmic medication. It is known for its bad side effects. In the US it's usually the last medication option rather than the first. >I am having spells of >lightheadedness, diziness and weakness several times since then -not >sure if its the sideffects or episodes of AF. > These symptoms are often associated with A-Fib. >>said I am better off >>with AFlutter - strongly recommended that I undergo RF ablation >>which according to him has a high success rate in his clinic (I live >>in Israel) and a better than fair chance to also preclude or reduce >>A Fibrillation. > If you're going to have a catheter ablation procedure, you might consider having a Pulmonary Vein Ablation procedure rather than one for Atrial Flutter. Flutter procedures seldom cure A-Fib, but a successful A-Fib procedure often takes care of Flutter as well. The reason is that A-Fib signals originate most often from the Pulmonary Vein openings in the left atrium. Atrial Flutter is most often found in the right atrium and often originates from the A-Fib signals from the left atrium. >he would recommend ablation in a specilized hospital >near Bordeaux, France > The Bordeaux group is probably the best in the world for treating A-Fib. >I am a bit confused as he said himself that Amiodarone takes time to >have effect but on the other hand he recommends ablation right away. > >I am a bit confused as he said himself that Amiodarone takes time to >have effect but on the other hand he recommends ablation right away. >Any sugestions? > Amiodarone does take time to build up in your body . I have to admit to being biased against amiodarone. I was on a relatively small dosage of it and had bad side effects I really didn't like---impotence, coughing up blood. What does your doctor think of other antiarrhythmic medications such as flecainide (Tambocor) or dofetilide (Tikosyn)? Your doctor seems to be on the right track in recommending an ablation rather than leaving you on amiodarone. Yossie, do you have any way you could research what doctors and medical centers in Israel do Pulmonary Vein Ablations? See how much experience they have and what their success rates are. That might help you in making a decision. I run a general info Web site on A-Fib http://www.a-fib.com that lists doctors and facilities doing PVAs, but I have no info on Israel for you. A-FibFriendSteve > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2003 Report Share Posted February 20, 2003 > > > " Radio frequency ablation for atrial flutter is a successful cure in >the majority of cases. RF for atrial fibrillation is a long >complicated procedure that is not nearly as successful. Actually, it >is still somewhat experimental as a cure for atrial fibrillation. What >can be done in cases of severe atrial fibrillation is RF ablation of >the conduction system linking the atrium to the ventricle; this can >help control the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, though a permanent >pacemaker will need to be implanted, and the need for coumadin would >still be present. > Dear Bert and Yossie, Calling current Pulmonary Vein Ablation (Isolation) procedures " somewhat experimental " seems to me to be inaccurate and out of date. There are doctors and medical centers who have been performing these procedures for years with a high success rate and low risk. RF ablation for Atrial Flutter is easier to do than working in the left atrium. But if you have A-Fib, a Flutter procedure doesn't have a great chance of curing your A-Fib. Whereas curing you A-Fib often takes care of the Flutter as well. I strongly disagree with this site if it is recommending that people with A-Fib get an Ablation of the AV Node and the Insertion of a Permanent Pacemaker to cure their A-Fib. This is an option of last resort for most people. Once you have your AV Node ablated (destroyed), there is no going back. Your ventricles will work OK, but you will still be in A-Fib and have to take a blood thinner like Coumadin for the rest of your life. There are much less radical options available to you. A-FibFriendSteve A-FibFriendSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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