Ablation

[Guest tearose]

I believe SVT and PSVT although similar are not the same.

SVT is not as dangerous an abnormality.

[mvdula]

I thought that the P in PSVT stood for 'paroxsymal" (sp?), which means is starts and stops. Can someone clarify?

[sj75]

yes its paroxysmal meaning it comes and goes.

I wasnt aware that they could do ablations in the ventricles, mine was definitely atrial as most of the impulses come from areas around the ?pulmonary vein and sino atrial node.x

[sj75]

think i may have read it wrong-lol.x

[LMKennedy]

Hello all, I'm Lindsay, 24 yrs old! Was interested to see this topic and kind of glad. I had an ablation in January of this year after months of SVT episodes and PVCs, PACs, etc. It started in the early summer of 2009, when I started having skipped beats, flutters, etc. Then I started having terrible SVT episodes where my heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest and my HR would skyrocket towards 200 bpm. It would mostly happen when I was bending over and it could take anywhere from a few minutes to about a 1/2 hr to stop! I went to the ER a few different times (of course it was already stopped by the time I got there...) and then to see a cardiologist. We got the arrhythmia recorded on an event monitor (happened one night while I was at work) then my cardio referred me to see an electrophysiologist who recommended an ablation to stop the SVT/potentially help the PVCs and PACs. After lots of back and forth with pros and cons, and research etc., I decided to go ahead and do the ablation. I was a nervous wreck until the day came, and it was a lot less scary than I thought it was going to be. The way mine worked was, the doc went up with catheters through 4 veins in my groin, until he reached my heart. He then preformed the EP study to find the problem area (which involved them essentially trying to "recreate" the arrhythmia). That was probably the scariest part of it all, just because you're kind of awake throughout the procedure and I could feel my heart rate flipping out and going crazy. Once the problem pathway was found, he ablated it with radiowaves and I could feel a slight burning in my chest. That was it. After that, he tried to recreate the arrhythmia again and it was gone.

After the surgery, I was trying to take it easy for a couple weeks. I wasn't having any episodes of SVT after the first month and I prayed that it would stay away! It's been about 9 months and no episodes (knock on wood)...but I still have PVCs and PACs, some days are better than others of course. In terms of my POTS, it's important to note that I definitely had POTS before the ablation, they just hadn't diagnosed it at that point. I didn't notice that it made my POTS worse, per se. But it did take a few months for my heart to settle down and get used to the ablation. I definitely would've gone through it again because I don't have the racing heart SVT feeling anymore. My POTS is still alive and kicking though, so I know for sure that it didn't alleviate the POTS any. I want to say that it's essentially remained the same since the ablation, but now I just don't have one of the scariest symptoms of it! My heart still does some crazy things, almost daily - but nothing compared to how it was before. If you're still thinking about an ablation I'd say it's all up to the individual and how you think your body will react to it. Just make sure you talk to your doctors and definitely don't be afraid to ask questions! It's a big decision to make but I wish you luck with it if that's the route you should choose!

[Heiferly]

I just wanted to chime in that it's not 100% necessary that you be awake (i.e. alert) during the procedure. For personal reasons, this was not an option for me and my cardiologist was comfortable having me fully sedated under general anesthesia for my EP study/(possible) ablation. In doing the EP study, my doctor ended up opting against the ablation, but I'm still glad I went forward with the EP study either way; I think it was just one of many steps for me in exploring the different possible avenues of my case. The procedure was stressful for my loved ones who were waiting for me because it took a little longer than initially anticipated, but with me being "out" for it, it really wasn't bad for me at all.

If you're considering it, I would definitely say at least talk to an electrophysiologist. You have nothing to lose in having that conversation at least. From there you can decide together with the doctor whether an EP study is right for you, and consider the pros and cons of a possible ablation.

Best,

h.

[iheartcats]

"I am wondering how many younger women out there have had an ablation and then subsequently (within a few yrs) developed POTS."

I would like to know this too. I had an ablation in my late 20s because my HR got 'stuck' at more than 230...it was 260 at one point and I had to have IV medicine to stop it. The EMTs couldn't stop it (I was doing nothing that day, folding laundry, so maybe I bent over!).

I took a few months to think it over and figured if they could stop this type of thing from happening (since something in the upper 200s at a constant rate can be dangerous), it was worth it.

I was diagnosed with POTS 3 years later, with symptoms about 18-24 months after the ablation.

[sj75]

cat-lady, my ablation was feb 06, within a month i had my first pots symptoms and was diagnosed last july (so like you 3 years later).

[mvdula]

"I am wondering how many younger women out there have had an ablation and then subsequently (within a few yrs) developed POTS."

I would like to know this too. I had an ablation in my late 20s because my HR got 'stuck' at more than 230...it was 260 at one point and I had to have IV medicine to stop it. The EMTs couldn't stop it (I was doing nothing that day, folding laundry, so maybe I bent over!).

I took a few months to think it over and figured if they could stop this type of thing from happening (since something in the upper 200s at a constant rate can be dangerous), it was worth it.

I was diagnosed with POTS 3 years later, with symptoms about 18-24 months after the ablation.

HI Cat-Lady!

I was hoping you would respond - I thought you had a similar onset. I did post a poll somewhat recently re: ablation link to POTS? about how many of us think our ablation was the CAUSE of our POTS....would you please vote in that? I need it bumped up anyway!