Cardioversion

[DottyCece]

What are the long term effects of repeated cardioversions on the heart?  I have been cardioverted from Atrial Fib/Flutter to sinus or paced rhythm five times in the last six months.   I  am wondering if there could be long term problems associated with this.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Dotty, a shocking question!

Theoreically, an electrical shock can induce some degree of myocardial damage.  There are multiple models of repeated cardioversion in animals that show differing results. The overall message is however, that it would take alot of cardioversions at very high energies to induce significant damage.

This would be more then really feasible in patients, and usually at much higher energies then would clinically be used in cardioversion.

The main risk of repeated cardioversions, really stem from the overall risk of the procedure itself. These include induction of other arrythmias, embolic risk seen especially in those with atrial fibrillation and pain and electrical injury of the skin at the site of cardioversion.

good luck

[dquenzer]

Wow.  That's got to be uncomfortable.

Are you on meds?  How long are you in before you get a cardioverson?

If I were you I would look into going to an EP specialist getting an ablation.  You surely can't go through that all the time.

[DottyCece]

Yes, I am on amiodarone.  I do have biatrial enlargemet so will go into Atrial Flutter quite easily.  I have had an atrial flutter ablation attempt. It failed because I have a diseased tricuspid valve which made it very difficult to get the probe in the right place to do the ablation.  Actually, the cardioversion experience is not so bad..takes about 4-5 hours over all..mostly an inconvenience.  I am having a redo sternotomy soon and a repair of the tricuspid valve.  At that time, they will do intraoperative mapping and ablation of the fib/flutter.  All of this is scheduled to happen pretty soon.