Guest guest Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 What complications did you have, Jean, and who did your ablation, and where? I may have missed all that, and if so I do apologize. Stef Jean wrote: I had radiofrequency ablation -- and had complications. Only a 3% complication rate sounds good unless you are one of the 3% but I will schedule it again since they did not finish - even with complications, it is better than the meds and the only chance of a normal life at this time. Jean --- " ljlaurent2@... " wrote: > QUOTE FROM > DR. BERNADINE HEALY > following the Dallas Heart conferences last week: > > > > Restoring normal sinus rhythm is still the best > regulator of heart rate. But drug therapy alone does > a poor job of converting chronic AF into normal > rhythm and keeping it there. However, there is a > relatively new therapy called radiofrequency > ablation that goes for the cure by walling off the > misfiring cells in the pulmonary veins. To do this, > the physician must thread several catheters into the > heart and laboriously map the electrical impulses in > the atria before zapping its targets. Success comes > 50 to 80 percent of the time, more so with a second > try. The downside is that it's a bear to do and > demands lots of experience and finesse, confining it > to a limited number of centers. Tchou, a > heart specialist at the Cleveland Clinic (my old > stomping ground) who performs hundreds of these > procedures a year on patients with severe symptoms, > says technology is in the works to make ablation an > easier and more reliable option for rate and rhythm > control. > But there are other mysteries of atrial fibrillation > that, if solved, could also change therapy for the > better: Some patients seem to have smoldering > inflammation that might call for different drugs. If > we can figure out why genes make some more > susceptible to AF as they age, we might design new > prevention strategies. > > Indeed, on occasion shedding extra pounds, > controlling blood pressure, and avoiding tobacco > prevents AF from recurring. > > All good things to do anyway as one ponders the > rhythms and blues of the cardiac years. > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > > > > __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com List owner: AFIBsupport-owner For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email, send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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