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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
W.P.W. and cures
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
W.P.W. and cures
by Brad-Pore, Jan 15, 1999 12:00AM
I have been having some heart palpitations for years and I have recently got up enough nerve to have it checked out. The cardiologist said I had Wolf-Parkinson-White, now he said that I wasn't in any real danger and he gave me a couple of ways that this could be solved, medacine and some kind of rish free surgery. I am 24 years old and in alright health I havn't smoked in a couple years I don't drink or do drugs and I have also quite caffine a few months back, but my problem is that it still races at times and every time I exercise I am affraid that it will happen. The Dr. said that it was up to me and just wanted me to see him in a couple of months. I want this to go away for good so I can at least have some coffee without thinking this is going to happen. I just ned some advice.
Thanks, Brad
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD APS, Jan 15, 1999 12:00AM
Dear Brad,
WPW is an arrhythmia that in rare instances can be life threatening, and given what you have said above it appears you need some more in depth education if not a consult with a cardiac electrophysiologist (cardiologist who specializes in abnormal heart rhythms.) The curative procedure (not surgery) that is 98% successful is called radiofrequency ablation, it is done with catheters that are inserted in the vein in your groin (after local anethesia and sedation of the patient) and guided to your heart to map the electrical system and it's abnormal pathway such that the one catheter can be directed at the abnormal pathway and deliver a small current that produces a small scar to block the abnormal pathway.
Not every patient with WPW gets an ablation, however in this day, all should at least be seen and evaluated by a cardiac electrophysiologist.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only. Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.
