cardiac ablasion

I am scheduled for a cardiac ablasion soon to get my heart back to sinus rythm.  I am in afib now and have had a cardiac cath, TEE, cardioversion.  Nothing showed up as a blockage or clot.  The cardioversion did not change the afib.  What can you tell me about the procedure.  Will I be awake or just slightly medicated or our completely?  What is the recovery from this?  When do people usually return to work?  MY heart rate was 166 and is now 98 with meds.  My mitral valve sound sloppy in the echo. The bottom of my heart is beating very slow.  The hope is if the rythm is corrected, the rest will be corrected with time and meds.  I am told it can take from 4-8 hours.  What are the risks to this procedure?    I also have asthma and am 53.

[ireneo]

I've had 3 ablations but not for a-fib. It was for PSVT although they did find a-flutter when they got in there the first time. It seems the procedure may vary a bit from cardiologist to cardiologist. In general, you go in, they start an IV (the worst part in my opinion), they take you into the cath lab and hook up a bunch of leads and such (sticky dots and all). Then they may use some Versed to make you groggy and help you to forget everything that goes on plus some pain med (fentanyl) for any discomfort from the ablation. I just dozed off and on till it was over. Mine ran 3-7 hours. I woke up in my room, had to lie flat for several hours till the tiny incisions in the groin sealed up, had a turkey sandwich and was sent home.

Recovery: a couple days of tenderness in the groin along with bruising, some tiredness too. There will be weight restrictions for a week or two so don't expect to get back to the gym right away or anything. And do expect some brief arrhythmias for several weeks, maybe up to 3 months. It takes that long for the heart to heal even if you feel great.

There are others that have had ablations over on the "heart rhythm" board if you haven't posted there yet. Has your EP cardio sent you any information or talked to you about the procedure? Sometimes an ablation for a-fib can be a bit different.

I have asthma but since the procedure is a conscious sedation, there's no need for a tube down the throat. The risks are few and rare but any time they poke around in your body, something could happen.

[JKJ]

i've had 2 ablations...mine were for SVT.  both of mine took about 6 hrs each.  the first one was an outpt procedure; the 2nd one i ended up in the hospital for 5 days.
i was pretty much knocked out during both in a deep la-la land...don't remember a thing.  the recovery time was a few weeks...i did go back to work after a couple of weeks; but i felt "wiped out" for a very long time.

i went back on meds after both procedures....there is a possibility i'll either have to have a 3rd procedure or a pacemaker...not sure yet.

good luck with your procedure...i'm sure everything will turn out great!!!