ablation and pacemakers

I recently went in for a ablation due to SVT.  My doctor called me the "poster child for this procedure".  I  chose to be awake for the procedure.  It was supposed to last 1-2 hours.  After about 3 hours I was getting exhausted.  My doc said he found more than one "misfire" in my heart.  He then called in another Doc for a consultation during the procedure.  He told me he was going to give me heparin because he needed to go into a "different part of my heart".  He the put me to sleep!  After approximately 4 hours I went to recovery.  The doctor came out and told my husband, " things did not go well, I did it... she has complete Heart Block.  I was then told I would need a Pacemaker. Apparently, he got too close to my "regular pacemaker" Sinus Node??? and ablated it too.

I am a healthy 42 year old.  I'm feeling kinda bitter about this.  I took 2 days off work thinking I would have a simple procedure.  I spent 10 days at the hospital and came out with a Pacemaker.  

Is this a common "outcome"?  I don't believe at any time my Doc said I might need a Pacemaker.  He also fully admits it was his "mistake".

Please comment.

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

I am sorry to hear about that outcome. Being upset is a very common response to situations like that.  It is not common to need a pacemaker after an ablation -- the risk is usually quoted to be less than 1% but it can be higher for some forms of ablation.  I would need a lot more information to know what happened in the case.  There are many different reasons people might need a pacemaker after an ablation and there are times when the risk of pacemaker is much higher than others.  I respect that your doctor was honest about what happened during the procedure -- that is probably much less common than you might think

It is probably worth sitting down with your doctor to discuss exactly what happened.  As your mind clears a little bit (it is hard to think after a procedure from the mediations, stress, and this case, having to deal with a complication), it might be easier to understand what happened.  I have seen cases throughout the years where people have needed pacemakers in cases that you never would have thought from the beginning that they would need a pacemaker.  The longer I practice, the more I expect to see.  Medicine for doctors and patients can be very humbling.

That is about all I can say without seeing more information about what happened during the case.

I hope you feel better soon.