Good luck duder and hope it all turns out well for you!

My Best Wishes are for You!!!

Hope everything goes well for u. Will keep u in my prayers:)

Good luck! Write us when you're done. All the best. Paul

Good Luck Duder! We will be looking forward to your account of the day and an update on how you are feeling. Take care, Carrie

Don't forget to take it easy for at least two weeks. Don't go running to the gym or go mountain climbing. No driving for a while, you won't be able to push down of the gas or brake for at least a few days. You don't want to risk blowing out those arterial punctures in your femoral arteries. They may give you a heart monitor to wear for up to 30 days. Since you are so young they might forgo this or only have you wear it for a short time.

Good luck. Oh yes. Make sure you pee immediately before the procedure (like on the way to the Cat lab). You will be flat on your back for up to many hours after they procedure as the punctures close. And, don't pop out of bed to go pee, as soon as they take the harness off your legs. I did that, and passed right out, good thing the nurse caught me before I hit the floor.

Thanks Paul for the advice and everyone for the well-wishes!

who is doing it at emory?

I am. I looked back through your posts and see you had an ablation and are doing well. Did you have yours done at Emory as well? And, if so, who was your doctor?

Duder the 4th will be here and over before you know it! Wishing you all the best of outcomes. Be sure to keep us posted!
Take care and enjoy the weekend,
atp

On track for the 4th here as well! Got all my pre-op stuff done. Now I'm just taking it easy until Wednesday and not thinking about it too much. Good luck, duder! Talk soon!

Good luck guys!

@Paul60 - it's into a vein - the femoral vein they insert the catheter, not an artery. :-) The femoral vein joins into the inferior vena cava which leads to the right atrium.

Hey Buddy: I guess we are both right:

The diagnostic EP study will be performed by inserting hemostatic sheaths into the femoral and/or subclavian veins. Through these sheaths, long small temporary pacing catheters are passed under fluoroscopic guidance to the heart and positioned in the right atrium, near the His bundle, in the right ventricle and usually also in the coronary sinus. These catheters record activation of the heart and pacing can also be delivered to induce either tachycardias or bradycardias. In this way the heart electrical system can be assessed and arrhythmias induced. The patients arrhythmia can be induced in over 95% of the cases by putting in premature beats in either the atrium or the ventricle or by rapid burst pacing. Sometimes repeat stimulation after drugs like isoproterenol is required as well.

Next the intracardiac mapping procedure is performed. This involves moving a steerable catheter around the inside of the heart while the patient is in their arrhythmia to see where earliest activation occurs this is the origin of the arrhythmia. Sometimes three-dimensional mapping systems are used for more complicated cases. For other cases such as Afib ablations, a special intracardiac ultrasound catheter is used to image intracardiac structures. Arrhythmias on the right side of the heart can be reached through the venous system. Arrhythmias on the left side of the heart can be reached via the femoral artery to the aorta then down through the aortic valve into the left ventricle. The second way is called trans-septal catheterization. With this technique, a needle is used to puncture the interatrial septum from the right atrium, which allows a long sheath to be passed into the left atrium.

Good luck Duder
i am scheduled for march 3rd. for an ablation in London, Ontario
Hope you are free from a fib for ever.