mini-maze?

[banglamom]

Is the mini-maze or even the (not so mini) Cox maze only for a-fib/ a-flutter.  Since the 3 ablations and tons of meds (with lots of side effects)  have been only marginally successful, I am holding out hope that something like this could be done.  I have about every rhythm.  They have tried to negate them all with meds after it was not possible to completely ablate the sinus node.  With a maze, could they not ablate it, but make it so the impulses could not go ANYWHERE and just let the pacemaker handle the rhythms.  I'm so desperate.

I'm also afraid to ask.  If they say no, all the hope is gone.  If they say yes, it's time for terror.  I do the research before I ask the questions.  All my questions thus far have been met with... good idea, let's do it NOW.  I can't ask until I'm ready for it to roll out.

I would love not having my bp kicked out from under me with my meds.  I would love that if I just busy with... life... I wouldn't be reminded to take medicine by having my heart run away in SVT.  I'd like NOT to carry a backpack full of cardiac medications.  I could keep track of my batteries easy enough.  Took my meds a couple hours ago... tachy already 12 hours after last dose... now I'm already feeling dizzy and nauseated and my mouth is numb from the flecainide.  ARGH!

[banglamom]

They did try to shut it all down with the catheter ablation but ran into problems with the phrenic nerve.  I am all for the idea of being fully paced, but not with the thought of also not being able to breathe unassisted.  I was so disappointed when I woke up from that surgery only to find that they were not able to complete the goal.

[Jerry_NJ]

Sorry to read the suffering goes on, I know you have tried "everything".  I don't know the answer to your question about the mini-maze but I can say it didn't stop my AFib.  As I was having open heart surgery for a valve problem they did the mini-maze to see if it would stop the AFib, it didn't.

I'm sure you know better than I, but it is my understanding that it is possible to shut down the heart's biological electrical system and run it under full pacemaker, not sure how that is done, but thought the shut down could be done with a catheter.

Being an open heart surgery survivor, with no complication that I yet know about (1 year later), I can say:  scarry, but it "ain't so bad".  I had a great surgeon and great hospital and intensive care nursing staff, love them all.