Ablation for an SVT

[dshrader]

I am scheduled in mid February for an Ablation for an SVT at Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC.

Can anyone comment on their SVT Ablation procedure, good or bad experiences?  I am also scheduled for a follow up with my EP.  Are there any additional questions I should ask?

I hear some people have no post ablation issues and some say they experience flutter like symptoms.  What can I expect?

I've only had three episodes in the past three years but like everyone else, they are annoying.  Mine are easily broken by the Vagal.  My first SVT I was hung over and probably dehydrated, my 2nd event I have no idea what happened to start it, and my 3rd episode I was jogging on a treadmill.  So I have to say I've had it fairly easy.  I am just anxiety ridden that symptoms will get worse and I am anxiety ridden over the ablation

I am a 45 year old male, who considers himself fairly active.  My last SVT event happened while I was working out and in the middle of a two mile run on a treadmill.  I was able to convert back to normal by laying down and holding my breath.  However, an hour later when I got back up and walk my dogs my heart rate went back up to about 130, wearing my heart monitor.  A short trip to the ER, an IV bag and relaxing for an hour returned my heart rate to the 80's.

So I would like to hear from anyone who had an Ablation because of an SVT. I was told an Ablation for AFIB is completely different for an SVT.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing from you.

[twinbee]

bump

[dshrader]

Hi twinbee,

Thanks for your reply.  What does "bump" mean?

[lagoya]

hey
bump is just putting the post back up ...........but sometimes can be what people feel as well when the hr goes up realy fast a real big bump {thats just a little joke }  i had an ablation in 2007 for svt and while i was getting a lot more runs than you say i found the exp to be a good one i would think if your runs are limited then there is a very good chance of fixing this little problem for u ,,the producre can take a little time in order to map and focus the mis-firing points and generally u will be home the same day.it can be nerve wrecking for some but it is worth it cause i know the anxiety svt can bring and all the the side effects of various meds etc...u will feel flip-flops after the ablation all natural as the heart heals and rem it can take a few months for this to happen ,all in all it is the way forward in treating these arrhythmias ,,make sure u allow yourself a few days rest after the producre just to restore the balance and relaxation to your body and im sure u will be fine
im sure others will pop in too add to this but i wish u the best and lets us know how it all goes.

[Wisconsin2007]

I'm curious, dshrader - were any of your symptoms caught on a Holter monitor or event monitor?  Or was the ER trip enough to convince an EP doctor to do the ablation?

As I read through different people's stories, I'm noticing a big variance in how what appear to be similar symptoms are treated.  Some are ablated, others are told to go home and learn to live with it.  Seems odd to me, which is why I'm interested in hearing more of the back story for you, that is if you're so inclined to provide it.

[ireneo]

I've had 3 ablations and although the first one was the scariest (the unknown), the procedures were not bad at all. Getting the IV put in was the most uncomfortable part for me. They generally use medications to put you into conscious sedation (you simply don't remember much) and some pain meds for any discomfort you might have. It does take awhile: 2-7 hours to map out the problem areas and then zap them. Afterwards you have to lie flat for several hours until the tiny incisions seal up.

It's not unusual to feel tired for a few days and to have some dull aches come and go in the chest.  And yes, your heart may flutter and sputter for a few months as the heart heals. You'll be back to normal activities in no time.

Wisconsin asked about why some arrhythmias get ablated and some we're told to live with it. Many people have PVC's (premature beat that feels like a heart hiccup) and most often they're not dangerous at all. That's when a doctor will say try to live with them. PVC's are difficult to ablate and taking meds the rest of your life with all their side effects are often worse than the PVC's.

I have PAC's, PVC's and PSVT (atrial tachy). My ablations took care of the atrial flutter I had and greatly improved my tachy. I still get tachy often (a few times a week) but it never goes over 200 bpm and usually stops in less than a minute. For me that's wonderful.

dshrader: here's wishing you a successful ablation and a happy heart.

[Wisconsin2007]

Hi Ireneo -

Thanks for your comment on my journal, btw.

Part of the reason for my question is that I've heard of people living with short runs of SVT for decades.  For myself, I've experienced short runs of it, too.  I've had a decade worth of PVC's and those don't often make me nervous anymore, but over the last two years I've had short runs of...something.  Not sure what.  But wearing my sports heart monitor while exercising (on two occasions), I felt what felt like a PVC kick off a short run of a very fast heart rate, going from 140 to 210, then back down to 140 in a matter of a few seconds.  And I'm pretty sure it was more than an anomalous monitor reading, because during that time I felt my heart rate go from a pounding 140 to a less intense beat that was much faster, then one really strong beat, then back to the pounding 140.

I've also felt it on 2-3 occasions other than during exercise, at the store, settling in for bed, etc, but because it was probably a jump from 70bpm to about 110, it didn't cause too much worry.  Pretty sure I can handle 110 bpm for awhile.

But this is why I've got the event monitor on now - I want to try to capture one of these runs to have it looked at, to see if it's something I need to seek treatment for, or if it may have been a transient thing caused by stress and not requiring of any medical treatment, surgical or otherwise.  In all cases, other than the initial surprise of the change in heart rate and any subsequent worry, I experienced no physical symptoms like lightheadedness, dizziness, desire to take an unscheduled nap.  Just a quick flutter (not a couplet or triplet; it was long enough to register on my Polar monitor and set off the HR alarm), one big beat and then back to normal.  

I hit the exercise pretty good last night, around a 1/2 hour of a HR of 140-150 and was only able to produce a couple PVC's as I was warming up, nothing during or after.  Rrrrr.

So yeah, my questions are self-serving, too.  It's not like I can be any more worried than I am, but I'm just wondering if I should be more worried.

[ireneo]

Sounds like you're having mini-tachy's as I call mine. I understand what you mean about the difference in how it feels. When I'm on a treadmill, the rate may be up to 140 but it's a solid thump, thump and I know it's from exertion. The tachy times feel lighter, like a pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat. Most likely they're not dangerous in your case but it's always nice to have it recorded and identified as simple PSVT.

My rate jumps from normal to 150-198 (each episode is a little different) and then drops back to normal, blip. I'm so used to it after all these years and I know for sure what it is so it's easy to ignore.

Be sure to record some of those fluttery times (hold still when you record) and then you'll find out what's going on.

[Wisconsin2007]

Yup, that's exactly how I'd describe it.  A regular, heavy rhythm due to exertion (in the cases when it happens during exercise), then a brief period of a lighter pit-a-pat kind of rhythm (still seems regular, just faster), and then it's like my heart shuts the door on the fast rhythm with one big beat (like the follow-up to a PVC beat), then back to the regular, heavy rhythm.

I've read posts from doctors on this site indicating short runs like this can be innocuous and caused by stress, of which I've had my share lately.  So I'm hoping that's what it is, because I swear when these happen it just wrecks the rest of my day.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply.  :)