Some interesting and valid points being brought up. One difference between cancer and afib though... afib doesn't kill if treated with rate control and anticoagulation.

The need for and degree of improvement of QOL has to be the determining factor (as well as failure to control afib with other means) in accepting ablation risks and no guarantees of success... and then there is this pesky problem that was brought up...

" I also have concerns over the long term effects of scarring the heart. We just don't know what those will be. Maybe nothing, maybe something major. It's too soon to tell.. "

It does seem the odds of medium term success (particularly with multiple ablations) is very high. (medium means 5-12 years in my definition).

Tough decisions. Making an informed decision has to feel good though. I wish the best for those who made their decision and got the ablation...

What the heck, Barry Manilow had 3 ablations and he has all the money in the world... I read his net worth is $70M. He said he gets very few afib episodes now, but still takes meds and anticoagulants.

petey

BTW, you have to understand the Manilow thought process. I guess he looked at his ablation this way:

I Made It Through The Rain
Barry Manilow

We dreamers have our ways
Of facing rainy days
And somehow we survive

We keep the feelings warm
Protect them from the storm
Until our time arrives

Then one day the sun appears
And we come shining through those lonely years

I made it through the rain
I kept my world protected
I made it throught the rain
I kept my point of view
I made it through the rain
And found myself respected
By the others who
Got rained on too
And made it through

When friends are hard to find
And life seems so unkind
Sometimes you feel so afraid

Just aim beyond the clouds
And rise above the crowds
And start your own parade

'Cause when I chased my fears away
That's when I knew that I could finally say

I made it through the rain
I kept my world protected
I made it throught the rain
I kept my point of view
I made it through the rain
And found myself respected
By the others who
Got rained on too
And made it through

petey

Very interesting discussion going on here...

Let me just add my two cents. I do not think ablation should be marketed as a cure for atrial fibrillation. Neither should patients think of it as a permanent solution to the problem. This is the opinion of most electrophysiologist and is reflected in numerous academic publications. Even after a successful ablation one should always avoid their usual afib triggers (if possible) and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Ablations can actually cure many arrhythmias, like most forms of SVT, idiopathic VT, frequent PVCs, etc. In most cases one ablation would actually destroy the re-entry circuit, extra pathways or abnormal cells, therefore permanently curing the vast majority of people. A-fib is different due to the complexity of the rhythm ans underlying atrial fibrosis. What afib ablation accomplishes is temporary modification of the underlying substrate, creating 'electrical fences' around the areas of abnormal activity. However, these fences are not perfect or durable, as parts of them get healed over and the problem areas tend to reconnect with the rest of the heart. But that is only part of the problem. Bigger problem is that the problem areas we are going after - the pulmonary veins - might not be as important to maintenance of afib as we have previously thought. We know that the PACs that initiate Afib come from the PVs, so logically by disconnecting PVs from the the rest of the heart should stop afib. However, recent expireminents have demonstrated that while the triggering PACs originate from the pulmonary veins, the rhythm iteself is maintained by rotors of focal beats which are usually outside the PVI's. Just like AVNRT can be triggered by a random PAC, the rhythm is maintained by extra AV nodal pathway. So technically we can stop AVNRT by ablating all the PACs that can trigger it. But it would be an inffective and not-durable strategy, as most of us have random PACs that come from different areas of the heart. So that is the problem with Afib ablations, we go after the initiating triggers (PVI PACs) instead of the driving forces (rotors, focal beats). However when we start to actually ablating the driving forces we will definatelly see better and longer lasting results. In conclusion, I think that in near future we will be to cure afib in some patients, who do not have many contributing conditions that can lead to the progression of atrial fibrosis.

Thank you all for all the great knowledge and information you have shared. I had an ablation two years ago.

Have hope, but be.aware and know anything could change at any time so take all the neccesary precautions and live your life as normally as you can???

I do doubt that I have been 'cured' forever but its really nice to be back in NSR for however long it lasts. :)

I hope yours lasts a lifetime gretab. I am new here, but I want to thank you all for all the great information. I am getting more here than I have from the doctors. What a great site.