Misdiagnosis?

Question

Hi all. I had my last SVT in April and am now feeling pretty good with no issues. I am on 1/2 of a .125 digoxin because I cannot seem to tolerate the beta blockers. (makes my blood pressure too low). Could you possibly have a problem gas pressure on your vagus nervse that causes an SVT vs. a diagnosis of an SVT. I have seen my cardiologist and talked to an Electrical Physiologist and they say I should have an ablation. I had an SVT last November 08 and one in April 09 and none since. I had gall bladder surgery last January which seemed to trigger my SVT's again. I feel good now so I don't know if I want to take a chance and have an invasive procedure like an ablation. If I am having them very infrequently do I really need an ablation? Is it really an SVT?

hotgolf · Answer

Id seriously get a couple of opinions before I had an ablation. Ive had two and I'm worse than ever. It seems to really work for some and for some it just doesnt. Good Luck

amym2002 · Answer

I have had 2 EP studies. During the first one it never progressed to the Ablation b/c they could not bring on the arythmeia long enough to map it. The second one was successful and proceeded to the ablation.  Talk with your EP, what is his plan? If he says he is just going in to ablate an area, I would say no.  But if he is planning on mapping out where your heart is having issues to determine if any of the areas can be taken care of with ablation, then I would probably say yes.  There are pro's and con's about having an ablation done and not having one done. Ask more questions of your EP (they do more than just ablations/EP studies) and follow up questions with your cardiologist if you are still unsure of what to do. And if you decide to go through with it stay off of the discussion boards until afterwards so that you don't get innundated with negative stories that can stand out more than the 95% success rates.

grendslori · Answer

If you are only having SVT occasionally, I don't know that I would have the ablation. People don't realize that not all ablations are even sucessful. If the pathway that is the cause of the SVT is not electrically active on the day of the Study and ablation, then the ablation can't take place and it's all for naught. If you are having several SVT attacks, the doctor is much more likely able to find the electrical pathway that needs to be ablated. I have occasional problems with SVT and for me, I don't think the proceedure is worth it. I too, can't tolerate the Beta Blockers; they cause severe hallucinations in me, so they are not an option.

chuparosa · Answer

Absolutely ask your doctor what is happening to cause your svt.

My svt attacks are very infrequent also, sometimes only one a year. My ep doctor could not find the cause even after wearing a 30 day event monitor on two different occasions. I had to have an ep study done. It was the only way the doctor could be totally sure of what was happening and to get a diagnosis. Usually the ep study and ablation are done together but my sitatution was more serious than the doctor had anticipated so I have to go to a different hospital for the ablation.

Anyways, I am totally sick of svt, even if it's only a once a year event. Just the thought of dealing with another one has driven me to pursue an ablation. Although I cannot take any drugs to help with my svt, I'd also rather not take them. I'd rather have the ablation and be done with it and never have to worry when the next svt is coming.

mightym53 · Answer

Thanks for the information. The EP and cardiologist never said what caused it except that stress on the body (my bad gallbladder), anxiety etc. can bring it on. The EP just said that I was a good candidate, but as we both know they do ablations so of course they would recommend one. Still have not had any SVT's since April (knock on wood). I do get tired of worrying about it but really scared at 54 to have an ablation.

itdood · Answer

You're missing some info to make this decision.  What is the cause of the SVT?  There are many causes.  Some more benign than others.  If the cardiologist and EP are both suggesting ablation, ask them what they are seeing on your ekg that makes them think it's a more harmful SVT that requiers ablation and rick of surgery.