Fibrillation less than 2 weeks after ablation procedure

Hi,

My dad who is 71 and extremely fit had an ablation procedure in '09 that was unsuccessful and just had his 2nd one this month. Less than 2 weeks after his ablation, he has already gone into fibrillation twice. Is this a sign that the procedure did not work? He is very concerned.

Many thanks!

[itdood]

Only time will tell.  The advice most people receive from their doctor is to wait at least 8 weeks+ to assess the outcome of the procedure.  

It sounds like the 2nd procedure is more successful than the 1st?  At least this is a step in the right direction. It's not uncommon for people to keep trying options until the outcome is acceptable.  It's not uncommon to nee 2, 3, even 4 ablations.  Some will then move onto maze procedures.

Was he a runner?  wondering because I think we're seeing like a 10% incidence rate of a-fib for people who did a lot of cardio fitness when younger as they age.  I think this is a higher rate than the general population.  If he was a runner, you might want to do more research for athlete/a-fib.  There might be a particular strategy that works better for this group.

[adw5]

Thank you. The 1st ablation did not work at all so we're hoping this will be more successful. Yes, my dad ran many marathons in his 40s and 50s and still does long bike rides, skates etc.

[LindaTX]

I haven't had an ablation....yet, but from what I understand it is quite common to experience that for up to 2-3 months after the procedure because the heart has been irritated and it takes awhile to adjust and settle back down.  He definitely should be running this by his Dr.  I hope the second time has been the charm for him. :)

[adw5]

Thank you for your comment, Linda! I hope it IS just an irritation post-procedure.