A-Fib+WPW+ 20, athletic (risks?)

[Kyo]

I am a 20 year old male athlete.
I have recently been diagnosed with WPW. I had an Ablation in April, which was unsuccessful.
After wearing a Holter Moniter last week, they determined I had another SVT with heart rate of 280bpm with A-Fib following for 13 minutes.

What sort of risks follow with this? I only have the SVT's when I engage in athletic activity, but with this activity I can almost always trigger them. Strangely enough, the SVT's usually only come on aspects of my cooldown, rather than the most rigorous aspects of my workout.

I have also read that young WPW patients with A-Fib can have their condition trigger V-Fib... What's the likelyhood of this happening?

(If other information is needed, I am happy to provide it.)

[herbc]

In my case there was a heart rate above which the AV node reentry happened way after the fact, too late to cause pvc's.  I think it began to mitigate around 85-90 bpm.  So I never had a problem running.  My worst problems were when I was sleeping and the pulse rate was really slow.

[PikaPika88]

It sounds like wpw after the ablation, if successful then fixed for a while.  (A Fib will follow.  That's what my cardio is expecting.  He told me that).  If not successful then will get worse?

After the ablation, a pathway grew to join up the Atrial and Ventricle during my heart block.  From that point, it starts conducting again.  The dr put a pacemaker in for safety.  He expected a A-Fib will come so it can pace it out before it passes 100% to the ventricle.  I've wpw and now I am still having wpw.

  

[sueinns]

I don't have WPW but did have SVT which was exercise induced and much like you described in that it was always worse during the cool down.  However, exercising was always difficult when I was symptomatic and I had to stop often when I ran.   Like you, I exercised quite hard or at least tried to - it was difficult with SVT.  I always felt faint afterwards but never did actually pass out.   I had an ablation in January and have been symptom free of SVT ever since.

I'm sorry to hear the ablation didn't work for you.  Did your EP doctor discuss why?  What about the possibility of doing another?  

I can tell you that I had the go ahead to exercise from both my cardiologist and EP prior to my ablation. This was very important to me.  Tests revealed that I had a structurally normal heart so although at times I felt crappy, I wasn't ever really anxious or concerned.

I agree with acjviolin that you should speak to your EP. It's important that you get your questions answered.

[Kyo]

Well I exercise quite hard when I work out... But usually it's a night/day occurence. One moment I'm in normal heart rhythm, the next moment I HAVE to sit down or I'm going to fall down. SVT feels like my heart going crazy and A-Fib just feels like uncomfortable strange beating. But my working heart rate and my A-Fib rate are actually right near eachother, so although A-Fib was at 180-200 (according to holter moniter), I thought it was just my heart beating funny during my workout.

They found out I had WPW after I went in to an oral surgeon to have my wisdom teeth pulled and they saw an abnormal EKG... Infact they refused to take out my teeth(which I still have, darn it!) and sent me directly to my Primary care physician to get a referral to a cardiologist. Then I ended up with a holter and an EP and then an Ablation and after the ablation I ended up with another holter, which leaves me right about here. :p


I don't tend to panic when I have any medical emergency. I'm quite calm and collected... So all of this A-Fib and SVT doesn't worry me unless it were to degrade into V-Fib, which is really all I'm concerned about. I have read several doctors notes about the possibility of WPW with A-Fib having the possibility of turning into V-Fib.

[kyo1286]

yes but my heart usually skips a beat and comes back with a big thump in my chest and flutters I don't know if its svt or a-fib my doctors did all the test and found nothing so it may not be WpW or svt how do you feel when you excrise?

[acjviolin]

Well, I was in such distress, I called 911.  Did you not know you were in SVT and AFib?  I feel EVERYTHING when it comes to my heart. :-)

[kyo1286]

How did they find out you had this with your hear?

[acjviolin]

My EP wouldn't even consider an ablation procedure without the benefit that an EP study would provide.  You may have had one, but I'd sure find out if I were you!  Not to scare you, or anything- you just need an EP study if for some reason you have not had one.  I,too, have SVT and AFib- same high bpm as you.  It is not fun, is it?  I'm a 39 yr. old female, however- and not athletic.  I have not had an ablation, though.  I take 80 mg., twice daily of Sotalol (BetaPace), as well as magnesium and an aspirin to keep my blood somewhat thinned.  I've wondered myself if my EP hadn't missed a WPW diagnosis with me, but that's the ole' hypochondriac side of me!  About V-tach:  I do not think that your condition would lead to VT, but you need to get a satisfactory answer from your EP to make you feel at ease about this.

[Kyo]

I'm not entirely sure. If it involves an ultrasound or a 12-lead stress test, then yes I have.

The doc I spoke with seemed surprised to see the A-Fib, because it wasnt something present in any of my previously monitored SVT's.

[BionicBabe]

Have you had an EP study? From what I know, an EP Study is the best way of finding out what arrhythmias one heart is capable of producing.