Thanks for the responses. Just to be clear, I snowboarded all day the day before my ablation surgery, I am taking it easy post ablation. There are a lot of opinions out there and I believe that you cannot be fully informed unless you consider all options. Yes I realize that Dr Mandrola is an outlier in some of his thinking but I learned a little something from all the various Doctors that I sby Patti Starr - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Dr. Mandrola...Although that article you quoted was a good article, the specific section you chose to quote is, IMO, over the top and typical of what I said above. You're entitled to your opinion of Dr. Mandrola, but I'm going to stick to the topic at hand, and the "specific section" I quoted, which you said was "over tby mjamesone - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotemjamesone My opinion and experience is similar to what Dr. John Mandrola states here. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Dr. Mandrola. His brand is to write contrarian articles in layman publications criticizing whatever leading EPs are doing lately, quite often without doing the research needed to know what he's talking about. If you'd like to see a good example of that, youby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Carey: A whole lot of people like to say that, and it seems like common sense, but I've seen no evidence whatsoever that it's actually true, and I include anecdotal evidence in that statement. ---- Apparently, there are no evidence based studies, one way or the other. so yes, all we have are anecdotals and opinions. My opinion and experience is similar to what Dr. John Mandrola stateby mjamesone - AFIBBERS FORUM
I discovered this forum after my first ablation in 2017. In May 2017 I had a Cryoablation with Dr. Daniel Beyerbach at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. The journey leading to the ablation was a difficult one. I developed Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation while training and doing endurance running races, marathons and 50 k's. The first step was to put me on warfarin and Flecinide. The fleciniby Patti Starr - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, twice a day dosing. If I remember correctly, I also had to split the pill for the prescribed dose. Symptoms persisted after the first two week course so started a second course, but ended it early due to stomach pains, a known side effect. Fortunately, the pericarditis resolved. At my 3 month follow up, the ep downplayed the diagnosis, but given how many ablations he does in a day, my guessby mjamesone - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotegloaming It's not how long the fibrillation episode that matters, it is THAT YOU HAVE AF that matters. Certainly one point of view but not shared by all. Going back a bit in time, I was always asked in the ER how long I had been in afib. If the answer was under 48 hours, they would go ahead with a cardioversion even if off thinners. If it was longer than 48 hours, they would offer tby mjamesone - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteYuxi Are you not concerned with the risk of 1:1 conduction atrial flutter? I actually spend and have spent most of my time in afib being quiet. I recall EP, columnist and blogger, Dr. John Mandrola wrote about going into afib and taking PIP flec. He's a cyclocross rider and had gone into afib during a ride. This was maybe 10 or more years ago and he wrote that being quiet reduced yby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d If you think medscape produces FUD, then don’t ask any pharmacist for drug advice. My husband took all his CE (continued education to renew his license) from this site. I didn't say Medscape produces FUD; I said Mandrola does.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you think medscape produces FUD, then don’t ask any pharmacist for drug advice. My husband took all his CE (continued education to renew his license) from this site. For those not signed up, I logged in and am copy/paste the entire article: Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: ACC Data Challenge Promise vs Reality John M. Mandrola, MD DISCLOSURES April 04, 2022 The Americanby susan.d - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think for me and Jay and Susan and Barb! Lol we all just got the Watchman Flex and an article like this catches my attention for sure. Knowing Mandrol s similar history of bad news articles. Of course none of us are guaranteed a 100% safe procedure of any kind. Mandrola absolutely grasps at as Jay says - bad news sells. Having a guy like Natale do the Watchman then the TEEs etc helps ensure a gby Poppino - AFIBBERS FORUM
Typical Mandrola FUD article (FUD = fear, uncertainty and doubt). He's trying to make his name as a writer and he knows that fear sells. Demanding randomized sham trials for ablations, Watchman devices, and everything else has been his schtick for several years now. Would you be willing to have an ablation knowing it might be a sham procedure that just puts you under, pokes some needle hby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dr. Mandrola was dealing mostly in old news. The Watchman FLX was introduced in 2019. The PINNACLE FLX Trial, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.050117, was a small, nonrandomized study. I agree with Tom, bad news sells better than good news. And I'm not the slightest bit worried about my small leak because the endothelial tissue is growing very well over the devby JayBros - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotewolHe does have the honor of being rebutted in a published medical journal by a non-MD, though. That’s something.[/quote LOL! I sure wish this site had a "like button"by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
He’s easy to find with simple Google searches on a-fib. That’s how I found him. After years of my own experience and reading his posts, I’m not really impressed to be honest. He does have the honor of being rebutted in a published medical journal by a non-MD, though. That’s something.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have yet to listen to a podcast but will make a point to listen to that one. I have a 21 yo with autism. Stress is here- a lot. I can't change the circumstances. I have also had 5 open heart surgeries.. I obviously can't change that. I would venture mine is a combo. I have done the drugs.. I have an ablation scheduled.. and I have also tried lifestyle as I can. But I like whatby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I pay some attention to what Mandrola says. I appreciate that he puts his point of view forward, i.e. he publishes on substack and appears on a weekly podcast. I wish there were more EPs and cardiologists speaking out like this. Its good to hear different opinions. I often find his attitude irritating, and his arguments at times seem premature or lacking a sound foundation, but he can make vby David_L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoterocketritch Mandrola does spend allot of time online. I have spoken to him a couple times early on and he was very open and approachable. That of course was quite some time ago. He has had his own bout with affib and comes from a very conservative approach focusing on health and lifestyle choices as a first line defense to affib. So at the very least he has personal experience with it as itby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mandrola does spend allot of time online. I have spoken to him a couple times early on and he was very open and approachable. That of course was quite some time ago. He has had his own bout with affib and comes from a very conservative approach focusing on health and lifestyle choices as a first line defense to affib. So at the very least he has personal experience with it as it was most likely dby rocketritch - AFIBBERS FORUM
In reply to QuoteCarey I didn’t cite Mandrola. No, but the author of the article you linked did. He seemed to pretty much base his entire viewpoint on it. . I included four links..not solely on one author that you and Shannon disagree upon. One was a-fib.com link above. Shannon has submitted articles there. I value this link the most because of Dr Jais’s comments. Many here has thby susan.d - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d I didn’t cite Mandrola. No, but the author of the article you linked did. He seemed to pretty much base his entire viewpoint on it. Is everyone here aware that Shannon Dickson, the editor of this site, wrote an article for Medscape rebutting Mandrola's opinions on this subject? It's rather old now but it's still accurate and worth reading. It demonstrates why I dby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I didn’t cite Mandrola. That was another thread. I gave more than one link above. This one is more recognized: It comes down to skill of the EP but I don’t know how many patients fall into the below group and are just plain unlucky. If even a just a few, its not 100% flawless for those who can tolerate the NOAC and opt for the watchman that comes with some slight potential risks they areby susan.d - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mandrola has made a career out of writing articles based on fear, uncertainty and doubt, and often thin, outdated, and misinterpreted information. He's become a cardiology rabble rouser of sorts. I would not recommend him as a source of information. And yes, his view of afib is it's all your fault.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Everything that article cites is years old and no longer accurate. And citing Mandrola first does nothing to enhance his credibility. No one considering a Watchman should use this article as guidance.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuotePompon I find both his writings and Dr John Day's interesting, but to be taken with a serious pinch of salt. I particularly dislike all "blame the patient" approachs, and, for me, both are in this league, even if differently. interesting.. I will have to re-read with that in mind. I kinda of took it the opposite.. like a partnership. I was just reading an article he wroteby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I find both his writings and Dr John Day's interesting, but to be taken with a serious pinch of salt. I particularly dislike all "blame the patient" approachs, and, for me, both are in this league, even if differently.by Pompon - AFIBBERS FORUM
I found this doctor thru a podcast on something else. (They said in the podcast that they themselves listen to "EP cardiologist Dr. Mandrola" so I perked up my ears. LOL) Anyway here Is his page on afib and ablation. I find it interesting and somewhat balanced. A few articles down on it there is reference to some studies. Anyway I bet half the people already know of him but I foundby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteAsympPACs (I might even get to drink a glass of wine and maybe a cup of real coffee.) Dr. Mandrola, in "The Haywire Heart" referenced data suggesting caffeine is not an issue with afib. From being on this board for 17+ years, I can say that some folks who thought they had a coffee issue found that organic coffee solved the problem. So it could have been pesticides. Of courseby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
The Heart Rhythm Society 2021 conference published a video of a panel discussion entitled “Update from the Experts: Beyond Pulmonary Vein Isolation and the Promise of Pulsed Field Ablation” Actually, as far as I could tell, discussion of PFA didn't start until around minute 36:40 of the video, when Dr. Douglas Gibson proceeded to discuss uses he is excited about. "it is probaby David_L - AFIBBERS FORUM