Does ablation raise heart rate permanently?

Hi all. Due to have an ablation 14rh sept.
I know post ablation resting heart rate is usually higher. But does it eventually return to Normal pre ablation rate ?
Cheers

Yes, it eventually returns to normal. The length of time it remains elevated varies from one person to the next, but it can be a surprisingly long time, upwards of a year for some people.

You will get a more in depth reply from others, but the short answer is that because of the trauma/burns to the heart, the heart rate will be elevated for up to a year after an ablation. Eventually, it will return to "normal". I have had two ablations and the first 14 years ago, my heart rate was elevated for almost a year. My second ablation in Jan of 2020, my heart rate was back to normal in about 6 months. I am 76 and my heart rate as I type is in the upper 50's, but I also work hard at staying fit.

Before ablation, my HR at rest was as low as 50bpm, sometimes even a little below. It was likely caused by endurance exercise.
After ablation, it was more like 70-80, but it went down gradually. I'm back on my bicycle, but I avoid too much exercise, and I keep the intensity low.
At rest, I'm now at 60-64. When I'm down to 60, chances to have ectopics are higher.

My resting heart rate is 42 to 45 beats per minute at the mo. Run most days gym at night
Just don’t want it going to 60 or. 70
Feel great Do I have the ablation?

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Lenlec
My resting heart rate is 42 to 45 beats per minute at the mo. Run most days gym at night
Just don’t want it going to 60 or. 70
Feel great Do I have the ablation?

Heart rate increase after pulmonary vein isolation predicts freedom from atrial fibrillation at 1 year

"Ablation of atrial vagal ganglia has been associated with improved pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) outcomes. Disruption of vagal reflexes results in heart rate (HR) increase."

Sounds like you really don't care if you get rid of your afib? Low resting heart rates from exercise can contribute to afib occurring in those who are susceptible because of the lengthening of the atrial effective refractory period (AERP) combined with the low (slow) heart rate. Excessive endurance training was my path to afib 17 years ago. Part of my successful afib remission plan is carefully titrated endurance exercise. For me, triggers are the product of duration and intensity. Meaning I can do long duration endurance exercise, but limit the intensity to Zone 2 (per Iñigo San Mílan, serum lactate <= 2 mmol/L, alternatively limiting to Phil Maffetone's MAF Method or always nasal breathing - all qualitatively the same). I can do short limited reps of sprint interval training (SIT) or HIIT, like Tabatas. Except for the SIT or HIIT, everything I do, I limit to Z2. I do this in real time by tracking DFA (alpha 1) using a HRV monitor app [www.hrv.tools]

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Lenlec
My resting heart rate is 42 to 45 beats per minute at the mo. Run most days gym at night
Just don’t want it going to 60 or. 70
Feel great Do I have the ablation?

Yes, if it were me.

Your HR post-ablation will probably be 85-90 initially. But it will crash back down pretty quickly. It wouldn't surprise me at all if you were back at 50 in 3 months. That's vagal AF and it's what I had.

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Lenlec
My resting heart rate is 42 to 45 beats per minute at the mo. Run most days gym at night
Just don’t want it going to 60 or. 70
Feel great Do I have the ablation?

That's not what you should be basing your decision on. A temporary increase in resting heart rate does you no harm so who cares?

If you feel great, why are you having an ablation?

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Carey

My resting heart rate is 42 to 45 beats per minute at the mo. Run most days gym at night
Just don’t want it going to 60 or. 70
Feel great Do I have the ablation?

That's not what you should be basing your decision on. A temporary increase in resting heart rate does you no harm so who cares?

If you feel great, why are you having an ablation?

Because my ep said he thinks it’s the right thing for me

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Carey
If you feel great, why are you having an ablation?

Exactly.

Get a second opinion if you need an ablation, or if you are too symptomatic during afib.

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Lenlec
Because my ep said he thinks it’s the right thing for me

I apologize if you've provided this elsewhere, but can you give us a summary of yourself?

How old are you?
Any other medical conditions?
What drugs do you take for the afib?
How often and for how long are you in afib? All the time or only some of the time?
Do you experience symptoms when you're in afib?

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Carey

Because my ep said he thinks it’s the right thing for me

I apologize if you've provided this elsewhere, but can you give us a summary of yourself?

How old are you?
Any other medical conditions?
What drugs do you take for the afib?
How often and for how long are you in afib? All the time or only some of the time?
Do you experience symptoms when you're in afib?

no worries
I’m 50 fit and healthy
No other conditions
Take 100mg of flecanide as a pip
I’ve had Af for about 6 years now
Get maybe 1 episode a month
Last for about an hour. The flec sorts it very quickly within an hour or so
No real symptoms. Can just feel it in my chest sort of thing.
My Apple Watch is pretty accurate
My heart rate goes upto about 90 bpm
It’s the irregularitie that are most noticeable
Stroke risk 0

Cheers

Quote
Lenlec

I’m 50 fit and healthy
No other conditions
Take 100mg of flecanide as a pip
I’ve had Af for about 6 years now
Get maybe 1 episode a month
Last for about an hour. The flec sorts it very quickly within an hour or so
No real symptoms. Can just feel it in my chest sort of thing.
My Apple Watch is pretty accurate
My heart rate goes upto about 90 bpm
It’s the irregularitie that are most noticeable
Stroke risk 0

Cheers

You are quite fortunate but you don’t know it yet. I would wait until the pulse field technology is perfected before getting an ablation. You are non symptomatic and imho in no rush.

I absolutely would not have an ablation if I were you.

I would wait until the episodes start becoming more frequent or longer lasting. This pattern you're in could continue for years, or even the rest of your life, so what's the rush? Plus, pulsed field ablation is a new technology that's in clinical trials now and is very promising. It's much safer because it doesn't use heat, but rather very fast, brief electrical pulses. It should be available to top EPs within the next couple of years and it's worth waiting for.

I don't know in what way an ablation now is the "right thing for you." It doesn't really solve any problems you have, and it could lead to more serious problems than you have now. I would cancel the procedure in the morning.

Excellent advice Carey!

Thankyou all
I’m worries if I ring the hospital and talk to the Af nurse to cancel the ablation
I will be put on the bottom or taken off the list for ablation?
But my ep did say it’s my choice at the end of the day
Carry on with the pip flecanide and wait to see if it gets worse

I wouldn't be concerned with being taken off the list because this is something I don't think you want to do now or anytime in the near future. So I would just cancel and do what your EP said: Carry on with the PIP and wait to see if it gets worse. If it does, that's not likely to be anytime soon enough that being on that list will matter.

My 2c, once everything settled down, maybe 6 mths after ablation, HR was unaffected ie same as before