Thanks George, I hadn't thought to search him on this forum, he shows up a lot, going back 17 years! With lots of positive mentions. I still wonder if a surgeon so involved in leadership and research is the ideal, but he does sound extraordinary so I will see about getting an appointment with him.by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
I know Dr. Natale is the most recommended EP here on this forum. But I'm in Canada and for financial reasons, I really need to stay within my health system. So I've been trying to find the best in Canada. Specifically, one that will be on the cutting edge for pulsed field ablation. Who I'm considering is Dr Atul Verma at Mcgill (7 hour drive for me). He did a previous PFA trialby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Where is the second lead placed? I didn't see this in any of the articles, though did come across a video (for something besides afib) placing it on the back of the shoulder. Is one an anode and one a cathode and does it matter which one goes where?by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
ama1952, is it one hour in a single session? What do you do during it, just sit and read perhaps?by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Daisy, will look through some of these, even some in Canada. I've got my TENS unit coming in a few days. Does anyone know if it is left or right ear it is supposed to go on or maybe alternate? I read somewhere that it was the left to avoid some cardiac complication when on the right, but can't seem to find that again...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Daisy, where does one go to get extensive autonomic testing done? What kind of doctor would you see? I asked my cardiologist about my very low heart variability, and he was like, your heart rate is low when you rest and high when you exercise, that's plenty variable, lol... I think I even asked my electrophysiologist about it and he seemed off the mark too. I have extremely low HRV for my agby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Regardless of whether it is different for vagal/non vagal, there's studies showing it increases HRV which, at least as I understand, is a good thing for the heart's electrical system in general...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great, think I'll give this a try!by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks GeorgeN. That one doesn't ship to Canada either... It's like we live in Igloo's up here or something and only get package delivery by Moose. I am finding in the questions on the Amazon ones some answers about pulse width and frequency (for this one): Tens 7000 Digital (1) pulse rate is 2 to 150 Hz, 1 Hz step (however, burst mode can go 0.5 Hz to 5 Hz) (2) pulse widthby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
This sounds promising! A bit of googling alludes HRV could improve too. I have abysmal HRV... Just tried to buy that device but they don't ship to Canada. Any suggested similar ones in Canada, or what to look for in a unit? Good price would be nice, specialty stuff like this tends to cost 4X in Canada. I've looked on Amazon.ca and prices are reasonable, but none mention frequency ranby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
GeorgeN, thanks for always being there to give your valuable input. BBM is alternating between 115 and 125. I will see if changing carbs has any impact. Will look into WPW. Thank you too, Carey. Most of what I've read so far about Alternans relates to alternating amplitude, and that seems to be due to the swigning heart in fluid etc., but my amplitude seems stable, it's just the RR iby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
So I think I finally figured out what the wierd rythym I've been getting is called. I think it's a type of electrical alternan, where I have alternating RR-intervals. One slightly slower beat, then one slightly faster beat, repeat. It happens when I exercise without a very, very gradual warmup. I triggered an event on my latest holter monitor, but the report said it was just a high hearby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
That's good to know, Carey, I think that means I shouldn't focus soley on the McGill trial, thanks. I just read about the watchmen now for the first time, sounds promising, so many advancements going on.by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Aoife5, did they ever say why you weren't a good candidate? Interesting about not knowing what treatment she would get, though I don't think the study I'm looking at is like that... Do you know if your friend got just the PVI or did they work on other parts of the heart too? I'm going to do what I can to get into the McGill trial. But if that doesn't work out, it mightby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Steve, I'll give this a try again next week. I have flutter as well as aFib, what are the chances one of these studies would do more for participants than just the PVI? If I were to go to the US, I'm assuming it would be out of pocket. Or, given it's a study, is the fee covered do you think? I've heard some medical trials actually pay perticipants...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Is there any particular approach to get in on a Pulsed Field Ablation trial? Carey kindly provided this list of trials. I'm in Canada, so the one I'm most interested in is the one at McGill. I've tried to go through the phone system, but no luck. I tried emailing the kardium email adress provided, but no reply. Is there some particular channel you go through to get in on a trial? Aby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks GeorgeN, that is what I am after, I think that is the best thing to send to my cardiologist, much less noisy than apple watch or kardia and can send important snap shot pdf of troublesome time rather than a time I happened to do an ecg. This is the next best thing to a holter I think. I still might get an apple watch as it is way more conventient and so could give a better idea of how mby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
As per this page, it looks like the apple watch does send out RR data, but elite HRV hasn't put in the effort to be able to read it yet... Maybe there is an alternative to Elite HRV that can... GeorgeN, regarding "ECG EKG Viewer for Polar H10", there app page shows a rythm strip pic (below). But this can't be exported as pdf?by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would be using it both exercising and not exercising. It only exports a csv file? I was hoping it exported a pdf with rythm strip on proper graph paper my cardiologist would be familiar with... something like kardia or apple watch...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
JakeS, all that data the apple watch provides sounds extraordinary. The main thing I'm hoping for is the RR-interval chart GeorgeN points out is called a tachogram. Any idea if there is a way to take the watch data and have it displayed on a phone like I've shown in the pictures attached to opening post? GeorgeN, regarding the "ECG EKG Viewer for Polar H10" app, all I'by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks mjamesone, I've contacted Wellue to see what it can do. GeorgeN, thanks for all info, I think I'll read through some of your other posts too. I don't think Elite HRV can zoom in... I'm certain it isn't artifact because it is very repeatable (I just have to pedal harder, my body is still) and I feel the difference in my chest. It happens when I increase intensityby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks GeorgeN. Wow, you've been using this a long time, ahead of the game! Did you see that third pic I attached? Have you ever encountered anything like that? It is so odd that it shows up as dramatically different yet nothing was picked up on the holter from the event time... I asked my cardiologist, but he just said it was noise. I explained it happens when I pedal harder and then goes aby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
The most useful heart rythm monitoring method I have tried myself is a Polar chest strap combined with the iphone app Elite HRV. I'll give a quick explanation in case anyone reading isn't familiar with the kind of plot it shows. Rather than ploting electrical activity VS time, it shows heart rate VS time (please tell me if you know the proper name for this kind of plot). It's an HRby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Carey and Daisy, thank you for all the info. Your recommendation of Dr Natale was pivotol for me, as it getting me looing into top electrophysiologists and what is the latest and greatest in the field. I am totally sold on the idea of pulsed field ablation. It makes so much sense to me to avoid the colateral dammage of regular thermal ablations (I wonder if PFA is what you both got seeing as Nataby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
That's great. Did you contact them to get into the trial? Given it was a trial, were they strict about just doing the PVI with PFA and nothing else, or were they thorough, for instance looking for other sources of PACs etc.? I'm thinking about maybe getting in touch with one of the trials, would want them to address flutter too at the same time if possible, but I might not meet the drugby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
There are acceptions though, like the pfizer vaccine I think... I'm surprised Europe is ahead on so much stuff because it seems like they are more conservative on so many things...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Interesting, there is one option I could go for there, thank you. I thought I had seen somewhere that it was already approved in Canada, but I'm not finding that now... I had though if so then there would be some electrophysiologists already doing it as part of their regular practice. But perhaps I was mistaken...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm wondering if anyone here knows if there are any electrophysiologists in Canada that are doing pulsed field ablation yet. Dr Atul Verma was doing it for a while, but looks like he has stopped working now...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
I hadn't seen that thread, thanks, I wonder if the posterior wall was done with PFA. I did see another thread where flutter was dealt with separately with RF in same procedure as PFA for PVI. ... I'm in an odd situation where I rarely go into afib/flutter but just have lots of runs of PACs, not sure if PFA would be used for that...by SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM
That's awesome. This is what I had read elsewhere, that HRV recovers. It's just a bit concerning when the article says "cannot be interpreted as restoration of left atrial autonomic innervation back to the preablation baseline". I'll have to try to get the full paper... So far what I've read is that PFA doesn't affect HRV at all, so at least in that respect it sby SamIAm - AFIBBERS FORUM