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A forum for discussing other health-related topics and information of general interest not directly related to AFIB.
Re: Has the time come? - Today
Yes, PFA has been proven effective and it's safer than RF ablations, which were the norm for many years. But it's not clear to me how many episodes you're having lately and how long they last. How many episodes have you had in the last six months and on average how long did they last? Choosing between an ablation and sotalol isn't a simple choice.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Healthcare in Europe - Today
When you find a company providing such insurance, there should be a formulary they publish that shows what drugs they'll pay for and how much. At least with US insurance companies you would find that on their web site. And keep in mind that the price in France will be much lower than in the US. Even without insurance Eliquis is about $55 (€50) per month in France according to google.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Can't make a dent in Rochester - 2 days ago
Although I think Mayo is an excellent institution and I would go there for most things, I've never been impressed with their electrophysiology. I don't think they're the best.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Watchman Leak: Low Dose Eliquis or Baby Aspirin? - 3 days ago
Natale also participated in the first clinical trials so what you have is two top experts disagreeing with each other. That usually means there's not a huge difference between the choices. I think if I were in your shoes I'd follow Natale's guidance, but I would probably put up with the nosebleeds and go to twice daily if there's a leak. Get a humidifier to use in the wintby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: covid vax? - 3 days ago
Sticking to the actual data -- of which there is a huge amount -- the COVID vaccines are remarkably safe. There's simply no way around that no matter what anyone tells you. And the COVID disease is remarkably dangerous, particularly for those past middle age and those with comorbidities. And that's not even to mention long COVID, which actually scares me more than acute COVID does.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Watchman Leak: Low Dose Eliquis or Baby Aspirin? - 3 days ago
I've been on 2.5 mg Eliquis (bid) since I got the Watchman in 2018. Before making the aspirin/Eliquis choice, I ran it past my PCP and my local EP. They both agreed that Eliquis is the safer, more effective choice. It's not a weird protocol. Natale and other EPs use it frequently. And even if you do have a leak, 2 mm isn't really of great concern. I would follow Natale's guidaby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: covid vax? - 3 days ago
It's not that people didn't want to investigate it. They did and they were. But the premier investigating agency in the US has fired all its scientists, defunded research, and is now led by a rabid antivaxxer with zero medical training and a worm-eaten brain. What I know of the cardiomyopathy issue with the COVID vaccine is it primarily affects young, healthy, and often athletic malby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: covid vax? - 4 days ago
Yes. I already did along with the flu vaccine.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: SHOILD I GET A REDO ABLATION - 6 days ago
I'd say an ablation is probably warranted but it's unlikely you'd be able to get it done before Christmas. That's barely two months away and any EP worth seeing probably won't be able to get you in before then (I'd be cautious if they can). QuoteFinally, what if I just continued watchful waiting? Whats the worst that can happen? That's what I would do forby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Resource for finding doctor? - 6 days ago
Looking for the top EPs who do ablations is exactly the right path. You want the EP who eats, breathes and lives ablations. I'll give you another name of an EP who's on par with Natale: Pasquale Santangeli at Cleveland Clinic. He trained with Natale.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: pill in a pocket anticoagulation - 7 days ago
This is why I hate the term blood thinners and try not to use it. You want blood that's literally thinner? Drain a liter of blood from yourself and replace it with a liter of water. There you go -- thinner blood. No drug I know of will have the same effect. But to address Mike's real question, the answer is yes, there are tests that can determine how readily your blood will form cloby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Abnormal LA Strain after ablation - 10 days ago
Your language regarding the left atrial appendage (LAA) isn't familiar to me, and the LAA is something I'm very familiar with, so I'm not sure you're understanding your EP correctly. Getting a catheter actually into the LAA isn't something that's normally done, so I don't know exactly what the EP did and what they found. Assessing LAA function is normally done wby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: pill in a pocket anticoagulation - 11 days ago
Quotewindyshores I would like a regimen like "under one hour, do one week; under 5 hours, do two weeks; over 5 hours, do 4 weeks." Something like that. No one can give you anything even remotely that exact. In 2015 I was following a PIP approach to anticoagulants, which my EP barely approved of (I was a CHADS zero at the time). His advice then was any sustained episode demands a monby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: SVT episode?!? First thing since Natale ablation 7 years ago - 13 days ago
You'll never know for sure, but it was most likely the vaccines. Inflammation is a well-known trigger for afib, and that's inflammation from any source: injury, allergy, surgery, illness, etc. Think about what happens when you're exposed to a foreign protein. Your immune system recognizes it as foreign, and the very first thing that happens is your innate immune system is acby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: South Florida - 15 days ago
Yeah, looks like you're right. He's not listed on Cleveland Clinic Weston's web site anymore.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: South Florida - 17 days ago
QuotePoppino Use to be a guy named: Sergio Penski (I think thats correct) Ah! Good find! He's at Cleveland Clinic Weston. I thought he was still in SC. https://health.usnews.com/doctors/sergio-pinski-888677by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Ckg in, update & question - 17 days ago
Yeah, atrial tachycardia can be very difficult to ablate.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Ckg in, update & question - 18 days ago
An ablation can definitely reduce the size of P waves. Mine are very small, visible on a 12-lead but not visible on a Kardia (probably not a wearable either but I've never tried one). Probably not much that needs to be done about the atrial tach episodes since they terminate so quickly.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: New Member and Really Hoping............... - 18 days ago
QuotePamelaJean This make me anxious. I have bone-on-bone arthritis in my knee and some severe spinal stenosis in my lower back. Because of the Eliquis all I can take is acetaminophen. I take it twice a day, occasionally three times. Never more than that. So less than the allowed dose. Safe or not? You're perfectly fine if you stay below the maximum allowed dosage.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: New Member and Really Hoping............... - 18 days ago
Quotesldabrowski Tylenol has a black box warning, so does Aleve, etc. People think Tylenol is such a safe drug but they couldn't be more wrong. If acetaminophen/paracetamol/Tylenol were invented today, it would almost certainly be prescription only (along with aspirin). Tylenol was until recently the #1 suicide drug of choice in the UK until they changed laws and reduced the package sizby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: 3 Weeks Since Self-Converting to NSR - How? - 21 days ago
Quotemjamesone the search for Afib triggers is the road to madness Thank you for providing the words I've been looking for, for a very long time.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Irregular heartbeat three months after ablation - 21 days ago
How else are you going to find out if the propafenone is still needed?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: New Member and Really Hoping............... - 26 days ago
Quotesusan.d These warnings are not a reason to avoid a medication entirely I think that needs to be emphasized. Hundreds of drugs people take commonly and safely come with black box warnings.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Adjunctive Arrythmia: Asking for a friend - 29 days ago
Ah, okay. That makes a lot more sense. A junctional arrhythmia is one originating in the AV node. The AV node is the place where the signals from the atria are sent to the ventricles. Its job is kind of to act as a rate limiter. Your atria can beat at rates the ventricles could never sustain. So the EP's explanation makes sense. They can't ablate what's wrong with the AV node; theyby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Adjunctive Arrythmia: Asking for a friend - 30 days ago
Adjunctive just means in addition to, so it doesn't say what this other arrhythmia is. She needs to call the EP who told her that and ask for an explanation.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: 3 failed ablations with Vivek Reddy: next step Dr. Natale? - 30 days ago
Yes, I'm sure he would. Your husband can set up a virtual consultation with him. Just call TCAI's main number and ask for Norma. She's Natale's scheduling person.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: South Florida - 4 weeks ago
QuoteIDDOTEN you mentioned PF used in PVI and RF would be used outside the PVI I did ask 1 of three EP's i am meeting with so far he said no he only use's PF would that be reason in your book to scratch him off the list? thank you for your input That's not quite what I said. I said PF can be used in many places but it can't be used in a few critical locations that areby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: South Florida - 4 weeks ago
Well, you can simply ask the EP or his staff. How many afib ablations in his career, how many per year? Unlikely they'll have exact numbers but they should be able to ball park it for you. The answer you want to hear is thousands, not hundreds. Also consider the facility where it will be done. It should be a large medical center, not some community hospital.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: South Florida - 4 weeks ago
PFA can be used elsewhere in the atria but some locations require RF. It's likely that in a PFA ablation that at least some RF will be used.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Irregular heartbeat three months after ablation - 4 weeks ago
Most likely what you're feeling are pre-atrial contractions (PACs) but without being able to see a recording no one can say for sure. PACs are annoying but harmless, and deaths from Multaq really aren't something to worry about. It's a very safe drug. Can you copy an example of these episodes from your Holter monitor? If not, you might want to consider buying a Kardia device. Thby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM