ablation for pvc's??

[brooklynbetsy]

My problem is that i suffer from pvc's which have gotten a whole lot worse since stopping birth control. I would like to have another baby and this is why i'm off birth control. i tolerated around 6000 pvcs a day when on bc but just did holter and i dont know the exact number but cardio says they are a whole lot worse. they re every other beat pretty much all day long. my cardio wants me to get an ablation bc he fears they will just get worse when i get pregnant and i will have to be on a beta blocker and that will not be good for the baby and my blood pressure tends to drop a lot when i'm on a beta blocker also dangerous for baby. i have had an ablation for svt which was successful and i dont reallyfeel like dealing with another knowing that an ablation for pvcs has a low success rate. does anyone have a similar experience or have had an ablation for pvcs. has anyone been pregnant with really bad pvc's. i need help in making this decision, to ablate or not ablate?? i want to get pregnant soon as my little girl i 3 and i'm just ready. any information would be great. thanks

[mary2]

I am sorry you PVCs got worse.  It is common for PVC and PACs to get worse during pregnancy. Beta blockers can be used and are probably safe in pregnancy but nobody knows for sure since  it is difficult to do reseach in pregnant women.
PVC ablation has much higher success rate than it used to be. It depends on how many foci (types of PVC) you have and where they are (right or left ventricle). Also, make sure (if you decide to do it) you choose a very experienced center and EP doc.  
I hope this helps and everything will go well with you pregnancy (and ablation?)

[Momto3]

Hello and welcome : )

I have 3 (now grown) children and had pvcs before, during and after each pregnancy.  I was on beta blockers for part of the 2nd and 3rd pregnancies, but don't remember exactly how long.  

In late 2002, I was diagnosed with pvc-induced cardiomyopathy. I took anti-arrythmics for about 7 months, but b/c I didn't want to take the medication for the rest of my life, I decided to give ablation a try.  In 2003, I was multi-focal with at least 4 pvc morphologies.  I had 2 successful ablations, the first for RVOT (right sided) and the second ablation for LVOT.  It has been about 3 1/2 years since the second procedure, and the cardiomyopathy resolved and the pvcs are significantly reduced.

I agree with the other poster who said be sure to go to a facility where they perform pvc ablations with some frequency.

Good luck with everything!

[brooklynbetsy]

thanks for your input. i had an ablation for svt about 2 years ago and the ep was great but i'm pretty sure he said he has only done 3 ablations for pvcs and only two were successful. he did say that if he had to do another ablation he would like to use a cool tip albator(sp?) and at columbia presbyterian in nyc so he could have his team of ep's with him. i hope i can request that situation. i just had an echo this morning and am a little anxious about the results. i'm worried about cardiomyothapy bc my heart has been out of control for a little over a month. my cardio put me on toprol xl just 25 mg three days ago and it is having a positive effect my pvc's are decreased. i am jsut confused. if the toprol works would that get me thru a pregnancy and if i dont have cardiomyothapy couldnt i make it thru a pregnancy with 20, 000 pvc's?? momto3 did you have a large amount of pvc's thru your pregnancies and were your babies okey. did your pvcs increase? mine seem to really be affected by hormones. what to do? my first pregnancy was wonderful and i am ready to be pregnant again i am just scared about my heart. do you think if my echo comes back that my heart is healthy they will say go ahead with getting pregnant without an ablation? sorry for all of they questions. thanks for all your help.

[Momto3]

I don't know exactly how many pvcs I was having, but every time I'd go to a new doctor, people would always ask about the "different" heartbeat.  My OB is actually the one who had the EKG cart dragged into the room after an early pregnancy exam.  All 3 of our children were born healthy.  

Oh yeah, hormones have definitely affected the frequency of my pvcs!!  Be sure to talk to your cardio and your OB about your concerns. They should be able to help sort out what is in your best interest.  Good luck with the echo and your with plans of expanding your family  : )

Keep us posted.

[mattex810]

I just wanted to share my PVC ablation experince since I've been visiting these forums forever now but have nver contributed anything.  I've read numerous posts with people who had complications and terrrible ablation experiences and aImost backed out of having the procedure done because I was pretty scared and questioning whether it was really worth it.

Anyway I'm a 30yr old male and HAD unifocal PVC's originating from the RVOT..between 5,000 to 20,000 a day! So incredibly annoying and I just couldn't bring myself to believe that these things weren't going to slowly erode my heart function over the next 50 years.

Yesterday 7/31/2009 I had my ablation with Dr. Rinkenberger at Medical City Dallas hospital. I'm home today and feel fine except the right groin area is just slightly sore. I don't remember anything from the procedure but when I woke he came and told me how it went. When they started I was having a PVC about ever third beat and they were able to accurately map the area responsible about 4mmx4mm. He ablated that one site 2 times and that the PVC's immediately stopped.  They waited 30 minutes and I never had another one so they ended the procedure and took me to recovery. I was monitored overnight and never had one single PVC! I realize that there's always the chance that they could come back but for now it seems I'm cured. I've had these stupid things for almost 15 years and I have to tell you its almost unbelievable to me right now that they're gone.

The worst part of the procedure was the pre-surgery nervousness and the IV insertion...really no big deal!

Good luck to you all out there. I promise to post if they recur or I have some kind of complication.