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Re: New Member and Really Hoping............... - 3 days ago

Quotesusan.d These warnings are not a reason to avoid a medication entirely I think that needs to be emphasized. Hundreds of drugs people take commonly and safely come with black box warnings.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Adjunctive Arrythmia: Asking for a friend - 6 days ago

Ah, okay. That makes a lot more sense. A junctional arrhythmia is one originating in the AV node. The AV node is the place where the signals from the atria are sent to the ventricles. Its job is kind of to act as a rate limiter. Your atria can beat at rates the ventricles could never sustain. So the EP's explanation makes sense. They can't ablate what's wrong with the AV node; they

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Adjunctive Arrythmia: Asking for a friend - 7 days ago

Adjunctive just means in addition to, so it doesn't say what this other arrhythmia is. She needs to call the EP who told her that and ask for an explanation.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: 3 failed ablations with Vivek Reddy: next step Dr. Natale? - 7 days ago

Yes, I'm sure he would. Your husband can set up a virtual consultation with him. Just call TCAI's main number and ask for Norma. She's Natale's scheduling person.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: South Florida - 8 days ago

QuoteIDDOTEN you mentioned PF used in PVI and RF would be used outside the PVI I did ask 1 of three EP's i am meeting with so far he said no he only use's PF would that be reason in your book to scratch him off the list? thank you for your input That's not quite what I said. I said PF can be used in many places but it can't be used in a few critical locations that are

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: South Florida - 8 days ago

Well, you can simply ask the EP or his staff. How many afib ablations in his career, how many per year? Unlikely they'll have exact numbers but they should be able to ball park it for you. The answer you want to hear is thousands, not hundreds. Also consider the facility where it will be done. It should be a large medical center, not some community hospital.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: South Florida - 9 days ago

PFA can be used elsewhere in the atria but some locations require RF. It's likely that in a PFA ablation that at least some RF will be used.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Irregular heartbeat three months after ablation - 12 days ago

Most likely what you're feeling are pre-atrial contractions (PACs) but without being able to see a recording no one can say for sure. PACs are annoying but harmless, and deaths from Multaq really aren't something to worry about. It's a very safe drug. Can you copy an example of these episodes from your Holter monitor? If not, you might want to consider buying a Kardia device. Th

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: EKG tracings in different people - 13 days ago

You can't compare the recordings of a consumer device attached to your hand or wrist with a professional EKG attached to your chest. The farther away from your heart the sensors are, the less accurate the recording will be. That will always be true no matter what device you're using.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: EKG tracings in different people - 13 days ago

Quality of the connection, mainly. Sit down at a desk or table, place the Kardia on the table, lick four fingers, place two on each sensor, and remain perfectly still while recording. Try that and see if it makes a difference.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Flutter for 5 months now back in NSR - 18 days ago

Quotecornerbax But even if I were to remain in NSR for months continuously, you think an ablation is still necessary? That's your decision to make. You could quite possibly spend years or even the rest of your life living in NSR with meds, but I think that's unlikely and even if it does happen you'll be dealing with the side effects and expense for all that time. Yes, a good

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Flutter for 5 months now back in NSR - 19 days ago

A rate of 107 isn't going to do you any harm in the short run, but I wouldn't allow that to continue for weeks or months. Having both flutter and afib is very common and so is alternating between them. I did. One reason you may be seeing all flutter now is because your heart tends to follow the fastest pacemaker, which would be the flutter. You didn't experience 1:1 conduct

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Flutter for 5 months now back in NSR - 19 days ago

It's worth asking your doc about, but diltiazem isn't an antiarrhythmic and I would avoid the amiodarone due to all the nasty side effects. I would want something like flecainide. I also found that my flutter wouldn't convert with any sort of antiarrhythmic but flecainide did a decent job of preventing it.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Flutter for 5 months now back in NSR - 19 days ago

Quotecornerbax With that said I assume it's a good sign after 5 months in flutter mostly that I can convert on my own? Of course! But you need to see if you can repeat it. I understand where you're coming from with all the procedures and being done with it. So if you can't reliably terminate your episodes, all you really have to do is keep your heart rate under 100 bpm. L

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Flutter for 5 months now back in NSR - 19 days ago

I suffered from flutter for a couple of years, and I learned I could often terminate it with strenuous exertion. Not 100% but maybe 90% of the time. My usual go-to solution was to run laps up and down a flight of stairs if I was at home or work, or walk briskly up a hill if I was outside. Maybe the same will work for you?

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Anticoagulant/Cancer Question - 20 days ago

A TEE is the usual route but they must have a reason for wanting the CT. I would give the PA a call, express your concerns about radiation, and ask why they need it.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Advice on electrophysiologist in Florida - 21 days ago

Call the main number again and ask for Norma. She's Natale's scheduling person.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Advice on electrophysiologist in Florida - 22 days ago

The first thing you need to know about ablations is that the experience of the operator is everything. Sure, lofty titles, fancy schools, and other credentials are nice, but they don't help you find your way around the left atrium. They don't help you deliver energy in just the right amount, for the right amount of time, and with just the right amount of contact force. They don't h

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Advice on electrophysiologist in Florida - 22 days ago

Hi Gator, It looks like both those EPs are with the same practice. Are you limited by your insurance to using that practice?

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: New Study - 29 days ago

It has been uncommon but it's becoming increasingly common. However, if the ablation is going to touch the LAA, it's generally avoided because the mouth of the LAA where the Watchman fits can be swollen, so choosing the correct size would be hit or miss. When the swelling goes down, you could end up with a leaky Watchman.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Anesthesia for dental procedure - 29 days ago

Agree with the above. Although I've never had a problem with dental anesthetics personally, I've heard it from so many people that I don't doubt it's true. Just ask for the anesthetic with no adrenaline. I believe that's exactly what your oral surgeon said he's planning to use.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: SHOILD I GET A REDO ABLATION - 29 days ago

QuotePokey How do I decide if this redo is really warranted or not ?? By waiting. It's the only way to know. If you want to be sure it's needed (and I would), then cancel the procedure and wait to see what happens without steroids being involved.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: A shot in the dark - 30 days ago

Since you have a pacemaker the low heart rate won't be a problem.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Anticoagulant/Cancer Question - 30 days ago

Cancer can cause clotting disorders, so it's precautionary.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: High calcium score - 4 weeks ago

Quotegloaming I am positive I read about a suspected link between heart disease and gum disease at least 10 years ago. Absolutely true. It's been known for some time (although the insurance industry seems incapable of recognizing the evidence). And that's true both in an acute sense and a chronic sense. Chronic low-level gum disease produces inflammation and we all know that prolonged

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: New Study - 4 weeks ago

Could be true but that's news to me. I'll have to go looking for it. And it seems like strange reasoning considering that aspirin has a higher bleed risk than the DOACs like Xarelto and Eliquis.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: High calcium score - 4 weeks ago

The usual advice is the same as for cardiac health in general. Lose weight, exercise, reduce alcohol, etc. How are your cholesterol numbers? Statins can help lower calcium levels.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Ablation in Plano/Dallas - 5 weeks ago

If I were your sister I would be headed to Austin to have Dr. Natale do it. She can do all the preliminaries via telemedicine so only a single trip would be required.

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: Watchman/TEE - 5 weeks ago

Yep, I've had two TEEs at St. David's and they were both done right there in the prep room. Welcome to the Watchman club!

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM

Re: 10 Months Post- Sinus Tach (IST) - 6 weeks ago

IST has no relation to afib or flutter that I'm aware of, and I doubt it's a harbinger of anything seriously bad. How fast is the tachycardia and how long does it last?

by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM