PULMONARY ABLATION DIDN'T WORK WILL A PACEMAKER HELP?

[Carrotfarmer]

I AM A 63 YEAR OLD FARMER (MALE)AND HAD AN ABLATION LAST YEAR IT WAS SUPPOSE TO FIX MY AFIB. THE MEDS GAVE ME PVC'S AND MY HEART RATE IS NOW TO SLOW(40). I HAD CARDIOMYOPTHY FOR 20 YEAR AND WAS ON AMIODARONE 200MG FOR THE PAST 10 YEAR. SIDE EFFECTS CAUSED THE DOCTORS TO STOP IT AND DO THE ABLATION. I AM BACK IN AFIB FOR OVER A MONTH NOW. THE DOCTOR HAS ME ON A  BETA BLOCKER BISOPROLO 2.5MG X2 DAILY AND FLECAINIDE 50MG 2X DAILY. I HAVE HAD 50 CARIOVERSION OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS AND WOULD STAY IN SINSUS RYTHOM FOR AROUND 6 TO 8 MONTHS UNTIL THE PAST 3YRS. WILL A PACEMAKER HELP THE PVC AND KEEP THE ATRIAL FROM GOING INTO FIB? THE DOCTOR WANTS TO TRY ONE AND THEN ANOTHER ABLATION IF THE PACEMAKER DOESN'T HELP. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? ONE MORE THING I WAS CLASSED AT GRADE 4 BUT WHEN THE ABLATION WAS DONE I WAS A GRADE 1.5, NOT SURE WHAT IT IS NOW.

[corpuscle]

I am a 65 year old retired cardiac nurse. I have heart disease and atrial fib as well. I suffered repeated cardioversions and asked for a pacemaker. I was in normal sinus rhythm when they put in the pacemaker and I came out of the surgery in atrial fib. You can imagine my disappointment. But I accepted that the procedure had excited my heart and waited for it to heal. I had one more cardioversion, was put on sotalol for the arrhythmia, and have been in sinus rhythm ever since - over a year now. Before the pacemaker was put in, my doctor discouraged me from hoping for a 'cure'. But I knew it could only help if inserted properly. The doctor who inserted my pacemaker is a specialist in that procedure and not my regular cardiologist. I think he did a good job and the atrial fib was just part of the process. At first I was stunned that you'd been through 50 cardioversions in the last 20 years. But when I realized that I'd had 5 in two years, I could easily see how they pile up. The pacemaker cannot prevent PVCs. But it can keep your heart in a normal rhythm which may prevent the frequency of your PVCs. It depends on what precipitates your PVCs. If it is lack of oxygen to the heart muscle, then a pacemaker won't make much difference. As far as preventing the atria from going into atrial fibrillation, as I described above, it does not capture your rhythm and make everything o.k. You may need another cardioversion after insertion like I did. Or not. There seems to be no pat answer. But once your heart is in sinus rhythm and kept there by the pacemaker set at the proper rate for you, it should help. But your diet and especially your salt intake plays a big part in how successful the pacemaker is. It functions in a 'healthy' bodily environment and doesn't help particularly in an edematous, unhealthy body. I had to finally take control of my eating and count the amount of salt in EVERYTHING I put in my mouth. I hope this helps.