AV node ablation

[PikaPika88]

"I am facing a total AV node Ablation soon. Then I will be totally dependent on the pacemaker. I read somewhere that the survival rate after that is 22 years."

I read that on somewhere in yahoo.  Is that truth?  

What about an av node ablation who is not a pacemaker dependent?  How many years?

What is causing that short life (22 years)?  AV node absent?  Or the pacemaker long term pacing makes the heart lazy?

I'm very disappointed.  No wander the doctor don't care now and leave me ...... END like that quietly!

[josie490]

Is it possible that the 22 year life span is because people usually get them implanted at a later stage in their life and so they were probably the majority of the I think that the survival rate would be the same as a person without a pacemaker.  

[sueinns]

I agree with Josie.  A friend of mine had a pacemaker implanted in her early 40's and was told her survival rate was the same as anyone else.

Careful what you read on the internet.  You should be taking this concern to your doctor.

[PikaPika88]

I don't know where was the lady read that 22 years from?  She can't post website in that forum.  I google and this one turns up.  My English is not good so I only can understand one quarter of the content in this document.  Could some one read and tell me?  Thanks.

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-8159.1999.tb00468.x

[rusholme_scruffian]

Reading the paper abstract it deals with a study looking at a whole range of people who have had a pacemaker fitted for a wide range of reasons. In addition, the date of the implant of the pacemaker ranged over several decades (so some of the pacemakers were the earlier types). It does not say that the average lifespan was 22 years after implant, what it does say is that if you have structural heart problems, then you are less likely to live as long as someone without a pacemaker. However if you do not have structural heart problems then there is no difference in life expectancy compared to those who do not have a pacemaker.

The issue then appears to be whether you have structural heart disease as to whether your lifespan is likely to be affected, and because the paper does not look at a comparison between those with structural heart diesease but no pacemaker and those with structural heart disease and a pacemaker, they cannot be sure if the pacemaker is responsible for the decline in life expectancy or whether the underlying heart problems are the cause.

The paper itself is from 1999 and therefore does not reflect current practice or equipment and because it covers 30 years of patients it dates back to procedures done in the late 1960's. You need to be careful when you read these papers on the internet to make sure you consider all the elements of the research. Even just the abstract shown here qualifies the work and provides the context for the results reported and you must consider that and not frighten yourself. Hope that helps!

[PikaPika88]

I don't know what/where our heart can get worse without the av node but I already know Right ventricular pacing can cause heart failure, this is true.  Long term pacing but how long would cause that?

I know Dr McWilliams can answer this.  I'm waiting ......but so far no one asked.