Ablation with no meds....

[kozlosap]

My daughter is in the ep lab right now currently at the 4 hour mark.  She had her first ablation 5 weeks ago with all the normal meds given for sedation and it was not successful.  She was taken off of all her meds last week and when she was prepped this morning was told that she would have no meds at all except the numbing in both legs where the catheters are inserted.  She (needless to say) was not a happy camper.  The nurses told her that they would play whatever music she wanted in the lab to help her relax.  Has anyone else had an ablation sans conscious sedation?
I just need to know what to expect from her when she is finished.  Last time it was 7 hours.  They are using a different catheter tip this time, one with magnets that is controlled with a mouse, similar to a game console the fellow told me and it is a slower procedure.  Thanks for all of your good wishes and wise advise, it has been a God send to me!

[tthh]

I live in Germany and had an EP Study done by Dr. Borgreffe's team (he's the inventor of the tehcnique in 1987).  I am an American and had the choice to go anywhere in the world but just happen to live an hour from him so I chose to go there.  

They don't sedate you like they do in the US.  They only gave me some valium and numbed the area on my leg where the catheter was inserted.  It was a little akward but I don't think that it makes much of a difference other than to relax the person during the procedure.  I didn't have an ablation so I'm not sure what that portion feels like.  

Hope all goes well with your daugther

[lizliz40]

I have been reading thru some older posts today and wanted to ask how your daughter's second ablation went.  Was she okay despite not being sedated?  I have been thinking about this procedure myself, although I am not certain I would even qualify.  I get scared just thinking about it.  How your daughter's procedure was successful.

[ptadvoc8]

That sounds like a difficult time for both of you! I know there are many patients who have undergone ablations this way due to the difficulty of reproducing the rhythm with sedation. Hopefully her team is experienced with this approach and will be able to coach and support her during the process. Often having the right kind of people around can help you get through difficult situations and I have spoken to several patients who had their procedures done with no meds and were not bothered by it other than saying it was long and a bit boring...

I have also heard from numerous people that the magnetically navigated catheter system is faster, smoother and more comfortable -- as well as more accurate and more effective for some types of arrhythmias, so the fact that the facility even has this equipment available is a good sign of their experience and commitment.

Finally, I always seem to have trouble with surgical meds and sedation causing me to feel extremely groggy, dizzy and nauseous -- which often takes me several days to totally kick, so as itdood points out above, she may actually feel better after the procedure and recover more quickly. Certainly she will need and deserve her due for being so brave and committed to improving her own health -- and, Mom will need some kudos, too!

Sending positive thoughts your way!

[itdood]

your poor daughter, that's tough.    But when she's all through it she can take pride that she got through a tough procedure.  She's brave and will be stronger for it.

Part of what I find intriguing is that it's common medical practice that when someone is under sedation certain heart arrhythmias are hard to reproduce.    Either the sedation is affecting heart pacers or conduction areas or there's more influence from the external nervous system than the docs understand.

I think she'll have the same physical sensations.  She might recover more quickly because she didn't have any anesthesia.    Sending healing vibes your way....