Ablation in Midwest

I posted awhile ago about this issue and was asking about Cleveland clinic and U of M at the time. I was given Dr. Schweikerts name and told that there was no one from Natalie's team left in Cleveland. However, no one said anything about U of M. I recently noticed on another afib site the a Dt. Morady at U of M was listed along with Natalie and Schweikert as one who does persistent a fib ablations. At this point I am not persistent, but assuming anyone who does a lot of persistent afib ablations would be very skilled. Any thoughts?

Hi Lynn - I would definitely cast my vote for Dr. Schweikert.

Jackie

Lynn:

No one has replied to you, I don't know anything about Dr. schweikert but I do know that Dr. Morady of U.of M. did an ablation on a fellow doctor and the man had complications after the ablation and died, this was about 4 years or so ago. I have no idea how many doctors performing ablations have fatalities, but I guess if I was to have an ablation I would try to see Dr. Natalie.

Liz

Here is a search on Morady though the archives here <[www.afibbers.org]

George:

Lots of stuff about Dr Morady, looks like I have spoken highly in some posts, but what I said about a patient Morady operated on that died is true. I cannot find anything anywhere about the death, I remember talking to my Dr. (he also goes to U of M) and he was surprised that I knew and asked me where I had heard about it, apparently this has been hushed up.

Liz

When I was early in my afib career I went to u of m for a second opinion. When discussing ablations and their safety they were quite up front and said they had only lost one. I could be wrong, but I thought a book was written by the family of the dr. who died warning about the dangers of ablation...not sure but I thought I heard this.

That book was not about a U of M doctor is was about a Johns Hopkins EP and more specifically his trainee he allowed to do a procedure on one of our long time ago readers name Pam. The trainee who Pam and her husband were totally unaware of that actually attempted her ablation, was assigned in the teaching hospital setting, as is often the case, but the head EP there who was and still is director of the Johsn Hopkins AFIB program.

Alas, this trainee made a terrible mistake with a new catheter he was unfamiliar with and ripped out Pam's mitral valve when that Lasso catheter got lodge in the pectinate muscle of her valve and he yanking on it to free it and tore her mitral valve forcing urgent life saving surgery. Fortunately Pam lived but never got the AFIB ablation they were hoping for and understandably have a very jaundiced view of the whole experience .. and who wouldn't have such a calamity and when they found out the more experienced top EP they had met with and who they fully assumed would do her whole procedure was only observing whole a real greenhorn was actually doing the procedure!!

This is fair warning to everyone to make sure you insist that the man or women you choose is the only one who will touch a catheter inside you body. df any one else wants to learn on your case they can watch and prepared the catheters for threading or what have you but don't allow anyone but your chosen EP to do the work inside the left and right atriums.

Don't go to U of M just because it is convenient, that can be a expensive decision, go only if you are totally convince they the Doc there who you know will be the one to do your procedure fully meets you own high standards for excellence in performing successful AFIB ablations. Make sure the EP ONLY does ablations too and does not dabble in ablations while doing their bread and butter in pacemakers or some other area of EP.

Again, if you can go to Austin to see Dr Natale, or even go see DJ Lakkireddy at Kansas University Medical Center who is a skilled long time protege of Dr Natale, that will work too if Kansas is still considered within the mid western region relative to your location?

Best,
Shannon