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A forum for discussing other health-related topics and information of general interest not directly related to AFIB.
Re: PFA vs. RF - 8 days ago
The advantage of PFA is safety and time, not efficacy.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Tikosyn question - 8 days ago
Tikosyn after an ablation is rather unusual, and especially when the EP says it may be long-term. Tikosyn is a heavy hitter. Most EPs would use something milder like Multaq, sotalol, or flecainide (flec probably not indicated with the cardiomyopathy). Anyway, iit's reasonable to prescribe an antiarrhythmic following an ablation, but only for a short period, typically a month or so. Saying iby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Fluoroscopy - 10 days ago
QuoteQwackertoo What is the difference between a touch up ablation w/Watchman placement vs a Re-Do with Watchman placement? When appointment is made within 3 days after the initial ablation? A touch-up procedure is finding the spots where afib signals are getting past the previous ablation lines. It's usually one or two burns vs dozens for a full ablation. And the Watchman is no more thby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Fluoroscopy - 11 days ago
A touch-up ablation and Watchman should be much shorter than your initial procedure. And there's really no way around fluoroscopy. They have to know exactly where they are in the heart and they also need to check the Watchman for leaks. So minimizing the time they use it is really all they can do.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: What % of EPs are capable of isolating LAA? - 13 days ago
Quotejasams I believe Natale does an electrical isolation of the laa when he does a watchman, since doing one after a watchman is much more complicated and prone to problems. This is not correct. Natale isolates the LAA only if the LAA is in fact a source of afib or flutter. The LAA can be isolated with a Watchman in place, but you're right that it does make it a little more complicated.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
GLP-1 drugs lower AF risk regardless of weight loss - 13 days ago
The following is a summary of a paper presented at HRS 2026 today. EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, APRIL 23 AT 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET NEW STUDY LINKS GLP-1 MEDICATIONS TO LOWER RISK OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, INDEPENDENT OF WEIGHT LOSS CHICAGO, IL, APRIL 23, 2026 – A new study analyzing data from more than 13,000 patients found that people using the increasingly popular weight-loss drugs knoby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: generic for Xarelto - 13 days ago
They are not. Generic 2.5 mg is available in the US but none of the other dosages are yet. Not sure why that is but I would expect it will rectify itself fairly soon.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Medication - 17 days ago
QuoteCarlorea Has anyone in my situation been given all 3 of these meds? Literally millions of people have, including a large percentage of the members here (including me). It's a very routine regimen for afib. The flecainide prevents afib, the bisoprolol protects you against a dangerous side-effect of flecainide (and also lowers your heart rate and BP), and the Xarelto protects you agaiby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: What % of EPs are capable of isolating LAA? - 4 weeks ago
Quotenonthumper Now, is it possible he should have left me in Afib and see if the condition lessened as my heart healed post prcedure? (Is this what is referred to as the "blanking period"?) I don't know. No, it would not have lessened. If an ablation doesn't stop the afib, then there won't be any healing post procedure. You'll just remain in afib and the modeliby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: What % of EPs are capable of isolating LAA? - 4 weeks ago
The trouble with that reasoning is that 1) sometimes the source of the afib/flutter is the LAA. No procedure of any sort would ever have stopped my flutter if the LAA wasn't dealt with. 2) The LAA is very often the reason that the success rates for longstanding persistent afib are so miserably bad. Natale and a handful of others first began isolating the LAA for this very reason, and it'by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: What % of EPs are capable of isolating LAA? - 4 weeks ago
Quotenonthumper I would have preferred to take my 1% risk of stroke over the 1% risk from anesthesia and the ablation (if that's what the risk is). The trouble with that logic is the risk from the procedure is a one-time thing while the risk of stroke is every single day for the rest of your life. So ask yourself this: If my risk of stroke is 1% per year, what's the risk of sufferingby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: What % of EPs are capable of isolating LAA? - 4 weeks ago
Quotegloaming I think the percentage would be very high Actually, it's quite the opposite. Electrical isolation of the LAA is a relatively new procedure. Although surgeons have been clipping off and sewing the LAA shut for decades, interventional cardiologists have only been ablating it since about 10 years ago. (Pioneered by you know who.) So it's not something most EPs have been traby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Eliquis & cataract surgery - 4 weeks ago
You can definitely stop Eliquis for 5-7 days, but I would double check with the surgeon. I've never had cataract surgery and don't know for sure, but my understanding of the procedure is that bleeding isn't really an issue. The only incision is into the cornea, and it doesn't have a blood supply.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Resting heart rate - 5 weeks ago
I've experienced prodromal symptoms before, and heard from many others who have too, but I've never heard of bradycardia being one of them. That seems a bit odd.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Inconsistent blood pressure - 5 weeks ago
Hypertension does "cause" afib but that's over a long period of time and due to atrial stretching, as you said. Unlikely that it's causing afib in an acute sense.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Need a “quick & dirty” answer - 5 weeks ago
Unless you know how your body responds to the combination I wouldn't combine diltiazem and metoprolol. They both lower BP and the combination might be too much. I would probably just take the metoprolol a bit sooner.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Normal activites - 5 weeks ago
I always just ignored it and went about whatever it was I was doing. I'm an avid cyclist and more than once I found myself in afib 20 miles from home in an area with no cell signal. So what choice is there? Those rides home were slow, especially on the hills, but there was really nothing else I could do.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Inconsistent blood pressure - 5 weeks ago
Then I'd say it's time to address the problem before it becomes 100%. It's not likely to be due to your BP.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Inconsistent blood pressure - 5 weeks ago
Quotegbaileytx Afib no up to 75%. Did you mean to say you're in afib 75% of the time?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Why aren't more afibbers trying potassium? - 6 weeks ago
QuoteGeorgeN True for capsules & tablets. Not true for powders. Yes, I'm aware. I used to buy pure potassium chloride by the kilo. But I thought he was describing a pill.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Mixed feelings about long distance doctoring - 6 weeks ago
What the heck is an emergency ablation?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Why aren't more afibbers trying potassium? - 6 weeks ago
QuoteTomR Another key issue to clarify, it seems, is quantifying the elemental potassium dose, since it is often unclear what is being referred to in some posts. NOW Foods potassium citrate powder label says that 1,400 mg contains 448 mg of potassium which is 32% strength. Did you buy it in the US or have it shipped to the US? If so, it can't contain more than 99 mg of elemental potassium.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Mixed feelings about long distance doctoring - 6 weeks ago
Quotenonthumper Interestingly, a man in the waiting room was saying he was at Texas Arrhythmia for his fourth ablation. He does not use Dr. Natale. He said this time the surgeon was going to turn the power up for better results. This sounded very similar to what Carey went through, even though this fellow started at the good clinic. The mistake I made was not going to Austin and specificallyby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: PIPT taking longer as I age. - 6 weeks ago
Quotehwkmn05 It is hard to definately diagnose flutter without a 12 lead ECG and interpretation experience. So how does one detect flutter or distinguish between that and afib if Kardia doesnt? Am I to understand that PIPT does not address Flutter the way it does Afib? It definitely wasnt the normal annoying Afib Ive had over the years and was mostly tolerable in resting state. Flutter is a reby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: PIPT taking longer as I age. - 7 weeks ago
Something has changed. Afib does that. You could try another AA but there's probably no point in changing the metoprolol. In fact, if you switch to something other than flecainide or propafenone, you might be able to stop the metoprolol entirely if your heart rate stays under 100 without it..by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Day 3 after ablation and afib is worse than before. Normal blanking or bad sign? - 8 weeks ago
Every EP has their favorite drug regime following an ablation so I've seen just about everything. Multaq is pretty common specifically because it's "mild" with few side effects. Natale often uses it in this role and usually doesn't use metoprolol.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Mechanism of AFIB - when a maze is not a maze procedure podcast tomorrow 5 CT 3/3 - 2 months ago
Incidentally, there's a video of a WP procedure on youtube. I watched it years ago when I was considering a Maze. 3Gives you a good idea what the procedure actually entails.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Eliquis or Not? - 2 months ago
Oh, I'm not disagreeing with that at all. Surgical closure is almost always superior to transcatheter devices. But people who are undergoing cardiac surgery for other reasons and can elect to have their LAAs closed during the procedure are a pretty small percentage of the people who would benefit from having their LAA closed one way or another. I can't imagine undergoing surgery just toby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM