Prior to Ablation - who feeds the catheters? the EP , nurse?

I am still on schedule for Aug 21 and as you might expect I think about it alot , I was wondering about who in the EP Lab inserts and feeds the groin catheters? does my EP do all of it.....insertion of sheath and then the catheters? of does an assistant or nurse do it........I ask because it seems in my conversations with ablatees that groin injury is fairly common?

anyway,,,,,thanks

om

Tom, I had an ablation at Barnes hospital in St. Louis 6/23. I asked my EP (Cooper) that question and he said it was too much for one person to do so he would have an assistant, also an EP, helping with the catheter placement. I had hardly any groin bruising, very little soreness, and could barely find the incisions. I had also seen patient stories about problems at the incision site so I was pleasantly surprised.

thanks Cathy, my wife is from StL, her parents are 93 and still in thier house! they live in LaDue near U City.....anyway thanks for your response.....how are you doing? we plan to move to St Louis in retirement......soon I hope!

Tom

Tom,
I have been following your posts, I wish you the best with your ablation and will pray for a successful outcome. For what it's worth, I believe you have made the right choice. I have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Wharton in Sept and don't know if an ablation is in my future. Would very much like to hear all about your experience.
Thanks,
Chuck

Tom, beginning to feel like its old home week!
I'm a Barnes 'heart alumni' ; one of first open heart in 1962, some
50 years ago. Not AFIB, but repair of septal defect (hole in wall).

Now near Tampa and with fine fine guidance from Mr Larsen, AFIB
under control, one day at a time.

Came from Kirkwood and Creve Coeur (next to Ladue) and beginning
to wonder if I should 'retire' back there.

Tom, I had no problem with the catheter insertion sites for either ablation. Chuck, I live in the Charleston area and have had two ablations with Dr. Wharton. If you have any questions you think I could be of help with, feel free to email me. Lynda

Chuck appreciate you placing me on your Pay list.......I have a friend who was ablated by Wharton in Charleston 7 years ago....not one episode since...he is 57 now....and he drinks all the time! does not take one single vitamin pill.....and certainly follows no diet

TP

Tom, for my Natale ablation, he had the EP Fellow-in- training do the prep work and insertions. I had no problems with insertions, just severe hematomas afterwards at the insertion sites because of my sensitivities to coumadin... a normal patient would not experience what I did.

If you are concerned, call and ask your EPs nurse.

Jackie

Tom

When I had my ablation in Bordeaux in 2003 Professor Haissaaguerre inserted the catheters himself, and then did the whole ablation.

Gill

Tom P - I'm doing fairly well at almost 6 weeks out. I still have occasional afib but it is milder and shorter in duration than before the ablation, and as the weeks go by, I think the frequency is decreasing as well. I'm keeping a journal and want to graph my data to see for sure. In addition, I used to get "pulse pauses" and near-faints when I tried to convert back to NSR. Since my EP took me off Diltiazem, that's gotten better too. That was my scariest symptom and I do hope it's gone for good.

I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea this spring, and wonder whether my nocturnal afib episodes may be triggered by apnea that got past the CPAP. I'm working with my sleep center to try and sort that out as I don't want apnea to undo the effects of the ablation.

Re: St. Louis -- I grew up here then moved to the East Coast after college but we came back to the Midwest to raise our kids. St. Louis has a low cost of living and is a fun city - we really like it here. Plus, Barnes has a good reputation as a top heart hospital.

Dr. Jais (Bordeaux) did the whole procedure from start to finish including inserting the catheters.

Hans