SVT ablation

[Shellnj]

I was just diagnosed with SVT. My doctor has recommended cardiac ablation. I was told my heart rate is too low to take the medicine that would help control the SVT.
I was just in the ER due to feeling I was going to have a syncopal episode. My BP was 85/72. Because I run, I get nervous while working out due to feeling lightheaded immediately after my run.
Can anyone tell me if the ablation is worth it for someone with my issues. I don't know if I should just hold off & wait for as long as I can?

[Bromley]

Hi. I had left sided accessory pathway and made a decision to ablate in one day. Left sided pathway is probably one of the easiest to treat with high success and few complications.

However, the risks and benefits depend on what you have and how they affect you. There are several different types of SVT; some are easy to treat with relatively high success and few complications, while for others things are not so clear. Some of the potential complications are quite serious. As a starting point I recommend finding out which type you have, and where that type falls on the risk and benefit scale for the type of ablation you need to correct it. Then do a respectable amount of research.

It's not a straight forward decision, but going through an ablation is certainly easy enough if it goes well. If you can take your time with it, I would thoroughly dig in and understand.  Then pull the trigger if and when you are ready.

[MichelleP_3811]

How old are you?  How often do you have episodes?  Do you know how to stop them on your own?  If not research vasovagal maneuvers to get tips on how to stop it on your own.  If so have you been successful at it?  If your svt can be controlled and you have infrequent episodes it might be wise to wait.  The biggest factor in having a successful ablation is the ability for the EP to induce an episode so they can map it.  This can be difficult for someone that only has a few episodes a year.  I was having weekly episodes so when I went it the EP was able to get mine going on one try.  If you are frequent and you have a more simple svt to correct, afib is a bit difficult but the accessory pathway svts like avnrt have very high success rates near 98% with low risk at like 2%.  So really good odds in your favor.  This said, I still have ectopic activity after my ablation that is more noticeable so just be aware.  As well a lot of people experience a pretty jumpy heart afterwards for a few months so that may happen but if you are nervous about running and have a fair amount of episodes a year ablation can be a good option for a complete cure.  This said, you do have to make this choice on your own.  It is a big decision to let someone work on your heart so just try and trust your gut what you feel is the right thing to do.  I tend to try and follow whatever gives me the most peace and then you can't go wrong.  If you want to read about my ablation you can click on my name and read my journal entry.  I am happy to answer any questions you may have.  Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing.