Ablation #2

Hello all,

Many of you don't know me but I followed the Board fervently five years ago. I stopped checking in as much when in May of 2004, I had an ablation in Boston. I have never really total AF free. I had a bout of AF at the 1 year mark, again 13 months later and then last spring AF reared it's ugly head on a more regular basis. I was always able to use the Pill in Pocket routine to get myself out of the attacks but I could see the writing on the wall and it wasn't what I wanted to read.

This Tuesday I had an ablation #2, again in Boston. I feel I am doing well. The reason I am posting is because I want to tell you what the EP found. He told me that three out the four pulmonary veins had over-healed the burns, only one was good enough not to need retouching. He also found several new spots, very near the natural pacemaker, and he burned these as well. They are now using robotics here, the burns made are supposed to be more uniform in depth and more precise in pin pointing the area.

Later, I did get a chance to talk to my EP about the future of helping AF patients. Dr. E said the more he learns about AF, the more difficult it is pinpoint a specific treatment, or cause, i.e. inflammation, disease, pollutants. He said a lot of his research is preventing what happened to me, the over healing of the initial burns.

Oh, another thing he did say was his average age of people seeking ablations were in the early 40's and they were usually very athletic. I, on the other hand am a nice 59 year young woman who was not going to give into AF.

I wish all on this board find a way free of AF.

My best to all. Jeanne

Hi Jeanne,
You mention that your EP said that pollution might be a cause of afib. Can you elaborate a bit on that?
Thanks, Lynn

Lynn,

I am sorry, he did not and I did not ask. Jeanne

Jeanne,

I remember you well from when I first began reading the BB. It's good that you let us know what's been happening. I'm glad that you didn't give in to Afib and went back for a second round.

Wishing you the best of health and complete success with your recent ablation. Please check in more often and keep us posted on your progress.

Blessings,

Marian

hi Jeanne , can you describe overhealing ? what type of AF did you have? sincerely Paul

Hi Jeanne,
it is interesting to read that you have had one manual ablation and one robotic. What was the difference from your perspective?

Do you know what type of catheter, that was used for the 1st ablation and the 2nd one?

Incidentally I think the use of the word robotic is a bit misleading here. To me robotic gives the impression of some autonomic entity that makes it one decisions based on some kind of artificial intelligence, when this is not at all the case. The use of computers only helps the physician to control the movements of the catheter with more precision and the physician is all the time in complete control of what is happening.

I would like to suggest the phrase "Computer Aided or Computer Assisted Ablation, CAA," instead.

Paul and Gunnar,

I started out a vagal and the first ablation really helped with that aspect of my AF.

This returning AF was very different, I would wake up with it in the middle of the night. Like Dr. Natale, my EP, Dr. Epstein, feels that AF is AF and no matter what the trigger, it needs to be fixed.

Gunnar, you are correct, it was not a robot doing the procedure, it was my EP controlling a "stick", as he called it. CAA is a perfect acronym for the procedure.

I do not know the types of the two tips used but I do know that there was a difference. As explained, the second tip had better temperature control. Also, another difference was the mapping of my AF. I had these stickers placed all over my chest and back that they said was for the mapping, did not have that with #1.

Today, I sit here with some leg discomfort, from the incisions, and my energy level is not what it was a week ago. But, the real difference for me with ablation #1 and #2 is that I had more chest discomfort with the first ablation, a lot more. I actually feel surprising well.

If I was given one wish in life, it would be that they find a way to free all AF sufferers from this disease. Oh, if I was lucky enough for a second wish, it would be that all cardiologist would suffer one AF attack to see what it feels like.

My best to all of you. Jeanne

Paul,

The scars created by an ablation prevent the electrical impulses from initiating an arrythmia. Think of it as a firewall, such as what you have on your computer. The impulses are not able to 'get out' and cause problems. Overhealing means that the scars created by the ablation are healed so they no longer provided this barrier.

When I had my second PVI by Dr. Pinski, he said he could find no evidence that I had previously undergone an ablation. He remarked that "I must be a super healer." Of course what he didn't say, due to ethics (?), was that maybe the burns done by the previous EP were not deep enough and never created sufficient scar tissue needed to stop the Afib.

Marian

Hi Jeanne - thanks for your great report. So glad you are doing well.

Now get back to enjoying life again in NSR!

Jackie

three of my four pv abaltion scars had healed and were "reconducting" when they did my third ablation.

Hi Jeanne,

Congratulations, and here's hoping for a successful outcome.
Enjoy every day of NSR.
Lou

PAUL/alison your emails have been bouncing back, so ill post your questions here.I dont know why the three pvs started to reconduct,only that they may have healed.the third time the "cartomerge" system which incopprates a mri scan was used,to map. the first time in 2002 this was not available,as i was on a research programme at st barts london(who have done all three)i was no7 in world who had a catheter maze.the third time im sure they "turned up the heat" as when the burnt me it really hurt,despite morphine ,the first /second i felt nothing.I was in 24/7 chronic af,so mapping the sites was not a problem.hope this helps
regards paul