Re: PVA Risk

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I don't know the actual numbers, or where to find such info, but I

seriously doubt its 50%. If that was the case, a good chunk of the

people who post and read on this board probably wouldn't be alive to

write and read to this board.

You may have found something regarding the success rate of the PVA,

which was probably based on someone's opinion.

That's my guess.

Bruce

> Can someone tell me what the mortality rate is for the PVA?

Someone said something about 50% but I am sure I misunderstood him.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi cleaner.

To answer your question on the mortality rate for a Pulmonary Vein Ablation.

It's less than 1%.

Stenosis depends on the Doctor's skill. You have to ask them that question.

Dr. Natale at the Cleveland Clinic is said to be 5%, based on a paper he

released in April of this year.

Rich O

[Guest guest]

Contact the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Natale's office. It was told to me by Dr.

phson at Beth Israel Deaconness Med. Ctr. in Boston. He heads up their EP

Lab and is a Prof. at Harvard Med. School.

Rich O

[Guest guest]

> Can someone tell me what the mortality rate is for the PVA?

Someone said something about 50% but I am sure I misunderstood him.

Risk of serious complications resulting in death is 0.4/1000 at Haut

Leveque, Bordeaux, so the literature reads.

Risk of stenosis is around 1% and up to 50% stenosis is acceptable so

I'm told.

Regards

Silverwolf

[Guest guest]

PVA's mortality rate is less than 1%. Your situation was extraordinary for

sure.

Stenosis is a more common risk associated with a Pulmonary Vein Ablation and

should be discussed with the EP.

I had a full PVA in July of 02' at a top hospital in Boston, by a very

accomplished EP.

All went well and no more AFib. Our two experiences are at opposite ends of

the scale. I'm sorry yours didn't go well.

Those contemplating a PVA should ask their EP lots of questions about risk,

the EP's experience, success rate, short and long term recovery, medications

etc.

If I needed another PVA, I would, hestitate. I would go to the same hospital

and same Doctor.

Rich O

[Guest guest]

My last sentence wasn't complete on my previous email. I said " I wouldn't

hesitate in having another PVA. I'd go to the same hospital and Doctor " .

Rich O

[Guest guest]

> Hi cleaner.

> To answer your question on the mortality rate for a Pulmonary Vein

Ablation.

> It's less than 1%.

> Stenosis depends on the Doctor's skill. You have to ask them that

question.

> Dr. Natale at the Cleveland Clinic is said to be 5%, based on a

paper he

> released in April of this year.

> Rich O

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rob O: The risk involved with RF PVA is much more serious than

pulmonary vein stenosis. I had radio frequency pulmonary vein

ablation March 25, 2002 at s Hopkins Hospital (rated #1 in the

country by US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT for the last 10 years) The EP

was a leader in his field, if not THE leader. I felt very

comfortable with what I was doing. Somehow the mapping, loop

catheter slipped through my mitral valve and became entangled the my

mitral valve root, or apparatus. In trying to remove the catheter,

they severed one papillary muscle, two cordae tendonae and one

leaflet of my mitral valve, leaving the valve completely flail. Post

procedure, they let my daughter tell me what had happened and I

wouldn't believe her. I thought it was a bad time to tell me such a

twisted joke. I realized it was true when the residents came in

asking me to sign a consent form for elective surgery!!!!! You can't

live without your mitral valve!!! I at first wouldn't sign this

consent form until one resident told me I would live 24 to 48 hours.

So I signed a consent form for elective surgery to repair above

injuries and replace the valve with a titanium valve. Post op I woke

up for a few hours, was extubated and chest tubes removed and I went

into acute congestive heart failure and was reintubated and 1 chest

tube reinserted. I went into a coma which I remained in for 2 weeks,

and had a stroke. During the coma, when I had no blink response,

they never taped my eyes shut (a mortal sin) leaving my with exposure

keratopathy. My corneas are permanantly scarred. I have ulner nerve

damage in my right hand. This narrative will take me all day to

type. I have short term memory loss from the frontal/temporal stroke,

and also cognetive thinking problems. I can no longer drive at night

due to lights glancing off scarred corneas. I am 51 y.o. and have

worked all my life, paying in to social security and I may never be

able to convince them that I need disability coverage. I believe

that if you can walk and breathe, that you will never qualify, no

matter how many years you paid in.

The moral of the story. Less medicine is better medicine. Some

countries still call PVA experimental. That would make me a guinea

pig. Thats about what I feel like. I hope those considering this

procedure will read this.

pammie416

[Guest guest]

Rich O

Where can we find this paper?

Re: PVA Risk

> Hi cleaner.

> To answer your question on the mortality rate for a Pulmonary Vein

Ablation.

> It's less than 1%.

> Stenosis depends on the Doctor's skill. You have to ask them that

question.

> Dr. Natale at the Cleveland Clinic is said to be 5%, based on a paper he

> released in April of this year.

> Rich O

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Pam,

That is a horrendous story.

I am glad you are in this group, and I give you a big hug.

I hope you are suing those docs down to their eyeteeth; it sounds

like you got bad care in multiple respects.

Can they do a corneal transplant? (I am not sure what that is, but I

thought cataracts were scarred corneas, and so there may be some help

available. Do they insert plastic corneas in cataract operations?)

Not in the same hospital, I hope.

[Guest guest]

> Pam,

>

> That is a horrendous story.

>

> I am glad you are in this group, and I give you a big hug.

>

> I hope you are suing those docs down to their eyeteeth; it sounds

> like you got bad care in multiple respects.

>

> Can they do a corneal transplant? (I am not sure what that is, but

I

> thought cataracts were scarred corneas, and so there may be some

help

> available. Do they insert plastic corneas in cataract

operations?)

> Not in the same hospital, I hope.

Trudy: When I was in the coma my eyes were at half mast and my

husband, daughter, mother and sister all said to the SICU nurse on

duty " don't you need to do something for her eyes " " Look at them,

I'm worried that something is going to happen! " The nurses response

was " Don't worry, it will be alright. " My family, not knowing any

better, did not persue it. Since my eyes were at half mast, the

ulcers that developed were on the lower corneas, and not in my direct

line of vision during daylight hours. It's only when it's dark out

and my pupils dilate that the scars come into my line of vision.

Oncoming headlights and streetlights glance off those scars and onto

my retinas causing the lights to be magnified. I don't drive at

night. Since what happened to me I feel like less medicine is better

medicine and would certainly hide from aggressive measures of any

type. I live with what I have and feel lucky to live at all. My

relatives all call me " the come back kid " . Probably the worst

outcome of it all was the stroke and cognitive thinking problems and

short term memory loss. That would be failure to retain new

memories. I might get in the shower and wash my hair 3 times. I do

things and can't remember 2 hrs. later that I did it or said it.

Hopkins made a mistake in letting all this happen to me. I'm an RN

with 20 years working in CCU, and I once ran an arrhythmia clinic.

How ironic that this should happen to me. But how fortunate that I

know everything that they did wrong and I cringe to think what

happens to others without my background who are unaware that blunders

were made.

Pam in polis

[Guest guest]

> PVA's mortality rate is less than 1%. Your situation was

extraordinary for

> sure.

> Stenosis is a more common risk associated with a Pulmonary Vein

Ablation and

> should be discussed with the EP.

> I had a full PVA in July of 02' at a top hospital in Boston, by a

very

> accomplished EP.

> All went well and no more AFib. Our two experiences are at opposite

ends of

> the scale. I'm sorry yours didn't go well.

> Those contemplating a PVA should ask their EP lots of questions

about risk,

> the EP's experience, success rate, short and long term recovery,

medications

> etc.

> If I needed another PVA, I would, hestitate. I would go to the same

hospital

Rich O: I'm talking about a very renouned hospital and a whole

staff of EP docs. I went to see them twice to discuss whether I was

a candidate, risks and benefits, success rates 1st attempt and 2nd

attempt. This place was almost without and untoward incidents. But

perhaps it could have happened anywhere. I still have Afib and plan

to live with it. However I certainly understand one's desire to try

it, given that he could be free from nasty rat poison drugs hopefully

for the rest of his life. That was my hope. As I understand it what

happened to me has only happened 3 times in the world. I was the

third. In one case they got the catheter out, in the second case,

which I believe happened in Philly, the person had a mitral valve

replacement as I did but had a good recovery. I had a stroke

and " TALKED TO THE MAN' " . I'm glad your doing well. It's still hard

for me to discourage people. I hear so many wonderful success

stories.

Pam

> and same Doctor.

>

> Rich O

>

>

>