safety of ablation 2

[Nellieevelyn]

sorry typo should say 95% successful  

[Mom2four85]

Unless your ablation is an emergency, I would definitely get different opinions and ask specific questions like - how many have you done, how many this year, how many problems has there been? (not sure you'll get an answer though) what's your success rate? has a patient ever died under your care?

Even though I trusted my EP, I got other opinions and went back to him because I thought he had more experience than the others; even though one EP was the head of USF cardiology - just a hunch after meeting her.  I had complications during mine but really I;m glad I did it - I found I had more of a problem than my doctor's thought - now I know I can go forward and find a doctor at Cleveland or Mayo clinic to help.

I would do the EPS in a heartbeat again if I thought it would be the cure to my problem.

[Bromley]

Considereing everything, I would say my ablation experience was traumatic, but nothing compared to several other stories I have read about, including yours. Really sorry to hear your story. My case is mild and I was able to decline on a second ablation for now. In deciding whether to go forward with a second ablation, I consulted four EP's, one from the cleveland clinic, one from the university of PA, one locally, and the original EP who dispensed my original ablation (which left me with mild VT/NSVT). Three ep's agreed that an ablation was not required, but all were willing to provide their services. All provided the same realistic opinion about potential outcomes. One stated that there was a good chance things could be made worse and discouraged me from jumping into another ablation for my VT. That was in 2004. I am still studying the decision. I am really sorry to hear that you had to go through that.

[joshuamom]

Hi there,

I just had mine done on Thursday, and it's not so bad...it was an extremely difficult choice for me , and I was terrified, but I had to think there are thousands and thousands of people who have had successful ablations with absolutely no problems who don't post on the internet, why, because they had no problems!  That is just my theory!  My EP doctor does hundreds a year, and most go very well.  I am still scared, but it is going to get better :).  I couldn't live with the SVT anymore, and it wasn't controlled by medications, so really there was no choice, cause quality of life is very important too.  The other thing I am extremely happy about is the the EP study showed absolutely no VT, only a rate dependent LBBB, which looks like VT on ECG.  That is a huge relief!  
I was awake for mine.  I am not sure if I would have another or not, a little too fresh right now!  But all in all, I think it was a good decision!  They think it was very successful.
I wish you all the very best, it is a tough decision, all I could do was try to make it based on the information I had, not necessarily other peoples experiences. I was going in anyway!   Take care.

Michelle

[Nellieevelyn]

I dont know I am trying to get better not worse the doctor thinks this will work for me
very scary choices  

[kane3]

sorry to hear of your troubles with the ablation. Mine also wasn't great by any means. Would rather not think about it, but i can relate to some degree as well. take care

[Patty1941]

Vtach ablation.  Would never do it again.  They nicked my right atrium, had to drill a hole in my chest to get blood pooling around my lungs out, etc. After several days in cardiac intensive care (with my own private nurse), I was in a week.  Supposedly a 30-minute outpatient procedure.  This was at the Washington Hospital Center which has an excellent rating as does my EP.  This was obviously a mistake--they do this procedure every day.  The thing that ticked me off was that she never said she was sorry.  Also, I still have about 1,000 events every six months.  She had the nerve to tell me that the ablation was a success.  I rather think that they didn't finish because of the "'diversion."  I had been on verapamil and was bound and determined not to take it anymore.  So I don't.  Thus, I have a p/m that I don't need that had been installed the year before after four hospitalizations to try different vtach medications.  All have terrible side effects, IMHO, except for verapamil which drove my heart rate into the 30s.  Thus the p/m.  At least I got her to put it low in my chest so it wouldn't be riding on my shoulder.  Maybe I'll need it some day.  I am in the only person in either family who has every experienced vtach.  

[kane3]

Yes, bromley made a great point in choosing wisely when meeting with a specialist. Ive had 4 different ones untill i felt satisfied enough with what was happening to me and what he had to offer that the other cardiologists and ep didnt. Dont rush into one idea. Study as much as you can, get some good questions together, and if you feel as though he hasnt fullfilled those to the best of your knowledge, try getting a second opionon. But dont overdue it as these specialists sometimes are not far off from each other in answers, technique and knowledge. Take care!