I think there are a bunch a people on here that have had success and depending on which Dr. you talk with, success rates range from 50-80% the first one and better with a second one. The risks are low too.

After my ablation I was kept on the tikosyn for 3 months so my heart could heal without too much drama, I was okay with that. Plus the Eliquis. I was doing great and then the thyroid went bonkers, I was on too much meds. I think I have that straightened out now and am at 40 plus days with no afib and am not taking the sotolol they gave me. I refused to take it because in my mind how would I know if the thyroid was causing my grief if I was on meds for rhythm? If I have another episode I may opt for taking it for PIP but not on a regular basis.

Talk to your doc and see how long they think you should be on them. Tell them about your fatigue, maybe they can switch you to another beta blocker. I know I could not handle the metaprolol at all. Fatigue, depression etc........ Since we all are different you need to find what works for you,Tried Bystolic and it was much much better. I am now only on the Eliquis and doing good so far it has been 13 months since my ablation.

this is the first ive ever heard of this procedure. not that i have anything against my cardiologist he done good job helping keeping this beast under some kind of control. just want to make sure its gonna do some good before i do it and find some one who is good at it.i know being from dakotas its not like we run around tipping cows over but not well known for have specailty doctors . i know its not gonna cure afib but be nice to cut some of these meds off . or atleast what to expect before i let some dude looking like nutty proffessor with arc welder burning holes in heart . just freaks me out to no end .

I'll let you know next week! I have a cryoablation scheduled for next Wednesday.

The way my EP put it to me was like this - meds lose their effectiveness over time in many cases, and afib is a degenerative condition - the longer you wait, the worse it gets. The sooner you can have the ablation performed, the more chances you have of success.

There are 3 stages - paroxsymal, persistent, and permanent. Paroxysmal just means intermittent. By the time you've gotten to the permanent stage, you're in afib all the time, and there's much less chance that an ablation will help, because your heart has effectively "re-wired" itself to beat with this herky-jerky rhythm all the time. I for one don't plan on getting to that point.

You said you're in the Dakotas and don't have access to a slew of doctors - still....shop around! When it comes to an ablation, your chances of success GREATLY improve when you have an EP (electrophysiologist) that has lots of experience doing the procedure. A lot of folks will travel to another state for the right doctor. This is your heart we're talking about - it's worth the trip!

I had an ablation 2 and 1/2 years ago. No afib after the 3 months blanking period. Only med is 25mg metoprolol twice a day, with no side effects.

acdcfan,
Yes, ablation done by a good EP will get rid of your afib. Based on my own experience, I would absolutely recommend ablation if you like to be drug free and feel normal. In your case, I think ablation is a good choice since living like a zombie is NOT living. It is cool to be a zombie around the Halloween to scare the kids but NOT all the time :-)

And yes, you got to find a good EP in a big city close to you for ablation.

When finally I went for my ablation over one year ago, I was practically in permanent afib (98% of the time in afib + flutter). But, ablation got rid of everything. However, still if I overdose on my old triggers (nuts, cheese, stuff with omega 3 faty acid), I might go to afib/flutter, in which case I take 25 mg of a beta blocker and it stops it within 20 minutes or so. It does NOT happen often. I do NOT take any other drugs for afib, I just take nattokinase as a blood thinner (works like aspirin).

Bottom line, ablation in the US, is a safe and effective procedure for afib these days. The technology for the procedure has come a long way and the EPs are a lot better at it than 10 years ago. So, go for it with confidence and get your life back, really.

ecofr -
Curious, why are you taking Metoprolol if your afib is gone? Is it for blood pressure or just in case, for the afib?

Note -
Yes, I am back now :-) I disconnected from the DS in December. Just in case you were wondering where the heck I was for the past two months.

Scott

My EP, in a routine consultation session, told me ablation has a 75% probability of success. 25% of ablations will require a second ablation.

This means that 25% of ablations are failures. There are risks associated with ablations that the patient has to be aware of. It's not a slam-dunk decision. The patient has to weigh risks vs. benefits. In my readings and knowing of people who have had ablations, some have done well, some not so well.

Ablation is generally done by a catheter. The catheter has both a sensing probe and a RF burning probe.It is threaded up via a vein usually in the thigh into the right atrium. It has to go across the wall between the right and left atrium to get into the left atrium. The EP first notes where the abnormal pulses are coming from. Once the EP has mapped out the abnormal firings, the EP will then burn those areas with the RF (radio frequency energy) probe. In many cases, the abnormally-firing areas are in the area where the 4 pulmonary veins enter the left atrium and the EP will zap these areas to isolate them from the left atrium.

Contrary to what some people say, the risks are not insignificant. They may be relative low risk but there are risks, nevertheless.

Hi acdcfan, My afib has gotten progressively Better since diagnosis
July '11.

I stopped daily Metoprolol after 3-4 mos. I take in now only as PIP. It makes me lethargic, and does not stop my afib. It does lower my HR, so I take it when I go into afib, to lower my HR to below 100

My episodes started out 1-2x a month....I now go 3-4 mos. between episodes.

I attribute my success to completely abstaining from alcohol and having significantly lower stress since retiring. This is just me....but, I am delighted!

I take only Pradaxa daily for afib.

Hey acdcfan,

My AF is better since being diagnosed in July 2010.
i've never taken any medication for AF besides Warfarin. My choice.
I have episodes, 2-3X/mo. I self convert after 17-30 hours. Episodes are mild with an irregular HB, 65-85,and some fatigue. I'm able to continue on with my regular activities. I am retired so in pretty much control of my schedule. Initially i experienced lightheadedness until I discontinued BP pills which apparently I didn't need anyway. I'm able to have wine with dinner but avoid it during the 9-12 days between episodes. AF for me seems to happen on it's own time schedule regardless of what I first thought of as triggers. I can live with it as is.

Annette

Ablations definitely have risks. It's heart surgery - there will always be risk with that. But again, if you have a good EP, the risks will be minimalized.

Also important to consider is that there are two types of ablations - radiofrequency (RF) and cryo. With RF, the catheter burns specific areas of the heart muscle in order to block the electrical pathways that cause the arrhythmia. With cryo, a balloon is inflated once the catheter is inside the heart, refrigerant is pumped in, and the offending area is frozen, doing basically the same thing as RF.

More EPs these days are leaning towards cryo as being a more effective, safer option. When you freeze an area of tissue, you can allow it to thaw if it turns out that it's not where the arrhythmia is originating from. With RF, once you burn a spot, it's burned. Not only that, but the most serious risk associated with ablations is accidentally burning through the esophagus (that's bad mmmkay). With cryo, that risk is minimized.

Scottzz,
I still take metoprolol because of blood pressure and because I have taken it for a long time with 0 side effects. Maybe it is not needed anymore, but I don't want to make changes now that my heart works fine.

i never had blood pressure problems , metoprolol is for heart rate i think, not sure got so many pills they started them after 4th cardioversion stayed in hospital for two days quit the sotatol and went to all these . worked for like 8 months no afib but tired no get up and go then had 4 more afibs with in about 6 months then upped metoprolol and pressure dropped way down so back to just two a day . im just a guinea pig i think . not sure what the digoxin and tambocor do . warfrin i know thins blood . i ask they say heart is good just the afib but man lot of pills ? dont get me wrong ill take them if it does the job but its not anymore . im sure lot of it i just scare myself into afib to much thinking

More EPs these days are leaning towards cryo as being a more effective, safer option. When you freeze an area of tissue, you can allow it to thaw if it turns out that it's not where the arrhythmia is originating from. With RF, once you burn a spot, it's burned. Not only that, but the most serious risk associated with ablations is accidentally burning through the esophagus (that's bad mmmkay). With cryo, that risk is minimized. "

Not true at all, RF is the gold standard at top high volume centers and with the Elite cream of the crop abolitionists.
Thyere is probably more of a risk of phrenic nerve damage that could be crippling than any complication with RF in experienced hands.

McHale

McHale: Yeah, those "elite cream of the crop abolitionists" don't want us to be slaves to RF ablation. :-) petey

Both RF and cryo are quite safe with an experienced EP. Even the worst-case scenario I mentioned with RF (burning through the esophagus) happens only in a tiny fraction of patients (and even then probably only with the most inexperienced EPs).

I'm not an EP, so I can't speak to what the gold standard is or isn't. All I can do is tell you what my EP told me about the safety and efficacy of both procedures (and he has performed plenty of both cryo and RF ablations). YMMV.