Aa
SVT/VT/VFib
Hello!
I am a 34 year old mother of two. I have had arrhythmia for 10 years, suspected SVT episodes for 30-60 minutes which were self-correcting. In February of this year I experienced sudden cardiac death and resuscitation. An ICD was implanted and I have had multiple shocks and pacing episodes for VT and VF. This week, I transmitted my ICD data and my cardiologist found SVT. She had changed some settings to be more sensitive and caught this activity by accident. She believes my VT and VFib may be triggered by the SVT. All of my arrythmias occur after bending forward suddenly.I am now scheduled for an EP study and ablation in one week. My question is about the recovery after ablation and whether a period of higher than normal arrhythmia activity is likely to ensue after the procedure causing me to get more shocks. I am petrified of the shocks and my life is disrupted significantly after a shock. I am wondering if it's possible my condition may be worsened by this procedure.
Thanks for your time. What a wonderful forum!
I am a 34 year old mother of two. I have had arrhythmia for 10 years, suspected SVT episodes for 30-60 minutes which were self-correcting. In February of this year I experienced sudden cardiac death and resuscitation. An ICD was implanted and I have had multiple shocks and pacing episodes for VT and VF. This week, I transmitted my ICD data and my cardiologist found SVT. She had changed some settings to be more sensitive and caught this activity by accident. She believes my VT and VFib may be triggered by the SVT. All of my arrythmias occur after bending forward suddenly.I am now scheduled for an EP study and ablation in one week. My question is about the recovery after ablation and whether a period of higher than normal arrhythmia activity is likely to ensue after the procedure causing me to get more shocks. I am petrified of the shocks and my life is disrupted significantly after a shock. I am wondering if it's possible my condition may be worsened by this procedure.
Thanks for your time. What a wonderful forum!
If your question was directed to me, I continue to be free of SVT five and a half years later.
1 Comments
That's great to know.Thank you for the prompt reply!
"My question is about the recovery after ablation and whether a period of higher than normal arrhythmia activity is likely to ensue after the procedure causing me to get more shocks."
Many people, including myself experinced a lot of short runs of SVT, perhaps 5-10 beats months after the procedure. I had one yesterday over 9 months later. Back in July, I had a terrible week and a half filled with PAC's. PVC's, and runs of SVT. Just as I thought the procedure was a failure, it vanished, and I've been fine. So yes, do not expect a perfect sinus rhythm following the procedure. Your heart will be aggrevated from the procedure alone. then comes them monts of healing. I have no idea how your ICD will react to these anomolies, but perhaps it can be reprogrammed to ignor them.
Good luck with your procedure. It's a piece of cake, and hopefully, it'll solve your problems.
Many people, including myself experinced a lot of short runs of SVT, perhaps 5-10 beats months after the procedure. I had one yesterday over 9 months later. Back in July, I had a terrible week and a half filled with PAC's. PVC's, and runs of SVT. Just as I thought the procedure was a failure, it vanished, and I've been fine. So yes, do not expect a perfect sinus rhythm following the procedure. Your heart will be aggrevated from the procedure alone. then comes them monts of healing. I have no idea how your ICD will react to these anomolies, but perhaps it can be reprogrammed to ignor them.
Good luck with your procedure. It's a piece of cake, and hopefully, it'll solve your problems.
Another thought which I can give you is VT/SVT discrimination problem , the ICD give shocks not recognizing SVT, there are multiple reasons for that but if this is ICD problem then a good EP study will solve the problem I hope and pray that this would be last of your procedure and then you will be completely cured Insha Allah.
please check this state of the art article.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/520588
please check this state of the art article.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/520588
Thank you for your concern and replies. I will try to answer all questions as best I can.
@kalim- My sudden cardiac death was in a public place. I don't remember the event entirely but possibly up to 5 minutes before. I was given CPR within 3-5 minutes, AED by 6-8 minutes. The AED shocked me out of VFib and into AFib for 4 hours. Upon arrival at the hospital I was immediately begun to cool to 92 degrees over 24 hours and then warmed up for 24 more hours. I had no treatment prior to SCD, two EKGs were normal, one stress echo in 2008 was normal. As described above I had arrhythmia for 10 years which was never caught on EKG. The ICD was implanted 7 days after SCD to prevent further VFib episodes since the cause was not identified. I was put on 50 mg Metoprolol a day which has been increased to 125 mg per day.
@mom2four85- I have had 5 or more VFib episodes since the ICD implantation. Each begins by bending forward or crouching down and then standing up quickly. Three episodes gave appropriate shocks, the others were successfully and appropriately 'pace terminated.'
The surgeon who will do the Ep study/ablation is that same one who implanted my ICD. My cardiologist found SVT morphing into VT and VFib on my last ICD transmission. She thinks it is AV reentrant tachycardia or slow pathway (for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia). She gave me a web address with tutorials on this topic to educate me - http://www.blaufuss.org/ It's at the bottom under "SVT Tutorial"
No one in my family died early with no known cause or from heart problems. No genetic heart diseases in my family that I know of. I do not pass out from VTach but each time I have been shocked back to normal sinus rhythm within 30-40 seconds.
Thanks for your well wishes and I'll post more info as I learn.
@kalim- My sudden cardiac death was in a public place. I don't remember the event entirely but possibly up to 5 minutes before. I was given CPR within 3-5 minutes, AED by 6-8 minutes. The AED shocked me out of VFib and into AFib for 4 hours. Upon arrival at the hospital I was immediately begun to cool to 92 degrees over 24 hours and then warmed up for 24 more hours. I had no treatment prior to SCD, two EKGs were normal, one stress echo in 2008 was normal. As described above I had arrhythmia for 10 years which was never caught on EKG. The ICD was implanted 7 days after SCD to prevent further VFib episodes since the cause was not identified. I was put on 50 mg Metoprolol a day which has been increased to 125 mg per day.
@mom2four85- I have had 5 or more VFib episodes since the ICD implantation. Each begins by bending forward or crouching down and then standing up quickly. Three episodes gave appropriate shocks, the others were successfully and appropriately 'pace terminated.'
The surgeon who will do the Ep study/ablation is that same one who implanted my ICD. My cardiologist found SVT morphing into VT and VFib on my last ICD transmission. She thinks it is AV reentrant tachycardia or slow pathway (for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia). She gave me a web address with tutorials on this topic to educate me - http://www.blaufuss.org/ It's at the bottom under "SVT Tutorial"
No one in my family died early with no known cause or from heart problems. No genetic heart diseases in my family that I know of. I do not pass out from VTach but each time I have been shocked back to normal sinus rhythm within 30-40 seconds.
Thanks for your well wishes and I'll post more info as I learn.
1 Comments
Hi I know its a while ago but I was wondering if your ablation was successful in treating your condition.I have exactly the same condition myself.Many thanks x
if your ICD senses dangerous rhythms after the ablation, then it may deliver a shock; have they said the shocks were appropriate or not? some of mine weren't appropriate because my ICD has a problem with the RV lead and oversensing and noise.
make sure you tell them in advance when you go in you have an ICD so they can turn it off; my father in law had to reschedule a procedure because they didn't have the right tech to do this when he went in last year to have a procedure done.
the ep study will map out the places in your heart they may find that are problematic; then they will ablate (burn or freeze depending on which one you're having done) the area. most of the time it's twilight sedation and you're able to talk to them and know what's going on.
depending on what was done and how long it took it's a pretty easy recovery; I think the worse thing may be having to lay flat with pressure on the site are and stay flat after.
If they find the areas that are causing the problems, then most likely you will have less problems afterwards, because there will be nothing in the pathways to trigger episodes. However, depending on the cause of your SCA it could be pathways could originate from other places; which is what happened with me - mine grew back in other places.
Do they know the cause of what's going on with you? has anyone in your family died early with no known cause or from heart problems? any genetic heart diseases in your family that you know of?
VT/Vfib is scary; I had 3 Vtach episodes in June but by the time I got shocked I was passed out. I was kind of the opposite of you, I went in for testing and an EP Study/Ablation and went into SCA 3 times then found out I had some problems and told the times I've fainted was probably my heart stopping.
I believe with some SVT's if timed precisely it can lead to pvc's if fast enough then a VT then VFib if the circumstances are exact...but don't quote me on that; I may be wrong and I'm thinking of something else but I thought I read that here with a genetic heart disease like WPW? maybe.
good luck on your procedure and post how it goes
make sure you tell them in advance when you go in you have an ICD so they can turn it off; my father in law had to reschedule a procedure because they didn't have the right tech to do this when he went in last year to have a procedure done.
the ep study will map out the places in your heart they may find that are problematic; then they will ablate (burn or freeze depending on which one you're having done) the area. most of the time it's twilight sedation and you're able to talk to them and know what's going on.
depending on what was done and how long it took it's a pretty easy recovery; I think the worse thing may be having to lay flat with pressure on the site are and stay flat after.
If they find the areas that are causing the problems, then most likely you will have less problems afterwards, because there will be nothing in the pathways to trigger episodes. However, depending on the cause of your SCA it could be pathways could originate from other places; which is what happened with me - mine grew back in other places.
Do they know the cause of what's going on with you? has anyone in your family died early with no known cause or from heart problems? any genetic heart diseases in your family that you know of?
VT/Vfib is scary; I had 3 Vtach episodes in June but by the time I got shocked I was passed out. I was kind of the opposite of you, I went in for testing and an EP Study/Ablation and went into SCA 3 times then found out I had some problems and told the times I've fainted was probably my heart stopping.
I believe with some SVT's if timed precisely it can lead to pvc's if fast enough then a VT then VFib if the circumstances are exact...but don't quote me on that; I may be wrong and I'm thinking of something else but I thought I read that here with a genetic heart disease like WPW? maybe.
good luck on your procedure and post how it goes
Well this is very creepy. SVT causing VT and VFIB? I have never heard of this.
Please keep us all informed.
Please keep us all informed.
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