Ablation

[Allee]

I have had SVT's since I was 12 years old.  I am now 51.  It has been recommended that I have an ablation done.  There is a history of blood clots on my Father's side of the family.  He died from one and so did his two brothers after surgery.  I have been seen by a doctor from the Mayo clinic in Rochester.  They did several blood tests and say that my blood is not susceptible to clotting.  
  I have an episode at least once a month.  Most of the time I can stop them myself.  The last two times it happened Jan. and last week I had to go to ER to get it stopped. When I was younger  it did not happen very often.

  My husband and some of my family think I should have it done.  Will the SVT's cause me more problems as I get older?  Would it be better to have it done now?  What about my family history of blood clots?

  Thank you for your answers.

[CCF-M.D.-KE]

Dear Allee,

Sorry to hear about your palpitations. To provide you with a good explanation of the procedure I would need to know more specifics about the SVT. Also, to further characterize the prognostic implications I would need to know whether or not there is atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.  The ablation for atrial fibrillation carries more risk than the other types of ablation. Given the early age at which you developed this rhythm an accessory pathway needs to be considered as well.
The ablation procedures for SVT have a high rate of success (>90%) and a low incidence of complications(<1%). The ablation for atrial fibrillation is less successful and again carries more risk.  I would recommend discussing the type of ablation that is being planned with your doctor.

You experience an episode of SVT once per month, is  this significantly limiting your activities of daily living?
I think what you are asking for is a second opinion. Without examining you, it is difficult for me to provide a sound opinion regarding whether or not you should have an ablation performed. I would recommend seeing an electrophysiologist at a large university based medical center such as the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. You can visit our website at www.ccf.org or call to schedule an appointment in our electrophysiology (EP) division of cardiology at 1-800-CCF-CARE.

Thanks for your question,


CCF-MD-KE

[cyn123]

hi    I am 33 yr old female who had svt for 13 yrs and then got an ablation done in 2000. Imust say it did change my life .  As i got older as well mine got worse too.  I went to Yale New Haven in Conn.   I was extremly happy there with their care.  Good luck to you.  Never again did it happpen.  thank God