TEE Showed a Blood Clot in my Heart

So doctor left before talking with me (that I remember - - thanks sedative), but members of the team told me of the blood clot and mentioned we could try again in a few weeks.

I'm obviously a bit confused in lieu of getting to grill doctor (and it's 5pm on Friday, so there's that). They did say it wouldn't be a problem if I converted on my own, but that the paddle conversion would have thrown the clot into my brain and that part I understand.

Not sure I understand how waiting will help. Will clot dissolve itself and not go into my brain? Yeah, now a bit more concerned than when I started typing this.
Nancy

Nancy

Before my ablation in Bordeaux they did a TEE and found a clot, even though I had been on Warfarin. The ablation was postponed of course.

I was started on twice daily injections of Enoxyparin and taught to inject myself, then discharged very quickly. They said I should have another TEE after three weeks of injections to check that the clot had gone, then restart Warfarin and book another appointment for the ablation.

Gill (pronounced Jill and female)

Yeah, I'm a little disturbed that they just sent me home.

Nancy,

Are you on warfarin, aspirin, or one of the newer anticoagulants? If yes, how long have you been on it? If no, you may wish to consider nattokinase; that is probably the most effective way of getting rid of a blood clot in the heart and ensuring that no new ones will form.

Hans

I've been on Coumadin since March. But I had to go off of it last week for surgery. So even though I was supplementing with Lovenox, there was at least 1 1/2 days without taking any of them. I've been back on coumadin since Wed. evening, my INR was 1.7 Monday and 3 today.
Nancy

Nancy, normally they want you with an INR between 2 & 3 for 3 weeks before they will cardiovert. George

George, yes I know that, that's why we did the TEE, to see what was there.

What is really concerning me now is that we know I've got a clot in my heart. But what next? The doctors did not put me on any new meds, so am I a ticking time bomb? If I actually self convert in the next day/s is that going to get kicked out and into my brain?

Nancy,

I'm not sure why the difference between self and electro conversion. I think I recall data on this. In any case, my understanding is the Coumadin will not let the clot grow or new ones form. In the mean time, you body's own clot dissolving enzymes will slowly reduce the size of the clot that is there.

If you've been out of rhythm for a while the probability of converting on your own is low. This is good news/bad news obviously. You won't likely convert, so the odds of converting and sending the clots elsewhere is low.

George

George - in my archives... I have a 2004 note from Hans on the efficacy of Coumadin:



There is a reference to the questionable effectiveness
of warfarin in the October 2004 issue of "The AFIB Report".

A group of German researchers observed that 53% of permanent afibbers
admitted to hospital while on effective anticoagulation still had thrombi
in the left atrial appendage. Sixteen per cent of these thrombi
disappeared after 1 month of anticoagulation, but even after 12 months 44%
were still present. The researchers concluded that continued effective
anticoagulation does not prevent thromboembolic events in patients with
permanent AF and prevalent LA thrombi.

There is also a study that investigated the use of stroke prevention in
afibbers admitted to hospital with a stroke. It found that 32% of 596
patients were on warfarin at the time of their stroke, 27% were on aspirin,
and 42% did not use either warfarin or aspirin. This study was reported in
the December 11, 2004 issue of NEJM. You can find an abstract at

[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Thanks for digging this one up Jackie,

I had remembered this report from long ago and it dovetails with more recent studies too. And this is why I had little hesitation to go for the Lariat once it was confirmed my LAA velocity was so low.

They are only going to refine and improve these various LAA ligation/occlusion devices and procedures going forward which for me seems the better way to go long term compared to dealing with the long term systemic issues, some of them not well understood, with anti-coag drugs, especially when they aren't even close to a sure thing as far as preventing formation of an LAA origin thrombus to begin with.

Shannon


Jackie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> George - in my archives... I have a 2004 note
> from Hans on the efficacy of Coumadin:
>
>
>
> There is a reference to the questionable
> effectiveness
> of warfarin in the October 2004 issue of "The AFIB
> Report".
>
> A group of German researchers observed that 53% of
> permanent afibbers
> admitted to hospital while on effective
> anticoagulation still had thrombi
> in the left atrial appendage. Sixteen per cent of
> these thrombi
> disappeared after 1 month of anticoagulation, but
> even after 12 months 44%
> were still present. The researchers concluded
> that continued effective
> anticoagulation does not prevent thromboembolic
> events in patients with
> permanent AF and prevalent LA thrombi.
>
> .....There is also a study that investigated the use of
> stroke prevention in
> afibbers admitted to hospital with a stroke. It
> found that 32% of 596
> patients were on warfarin at the time of their
> stroke, 27% were on aspirin ....
>
>
> [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
> Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1296808
> 5

Hans, just curious how much Nattokinase you recommend, I usually just take one a day for precautionary measure
anneh

Anne - I'll respond that the standard dose is one that delivers 2000 fibrinolytic units that are now being reported as 100 mg. You need to take one dose three times a day for 24-hour coverage each and every day....which means it keeps the fibrinogen level in your blood at a level that is less likely to allow clot formation.

Check out this website on the best NK available... (Cardiiokinase).... [www.cardiokinase.com]

Jackie

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