Catheter Ablation

I am looking for answers to several questions.

Has anyone out there had Atrial Catheter Ablation?
I just had this procedure done 3 weeks ago.
My questions, how long did it take you to recover?,
I am totally out of breath with everything I do.
I am TIRED and EXHAUSTED all the time.
My doctors say this is normal and give it time, you had a major
procedure done, give yourself a little time to recover.

Anybody else had this done? How long to recover?
Thanks everyone.



11 Comments

Not normal

by golden_snitch - 2013-05-21 02:05:08

Hi!

I do not think this is normal three weeks after a catheter ablation. I have had eight catheter ablations, the longest procedure taking 10 hours, but I was always back at school/work within 3 - 5 days. While this procedure should not be underestimated, it is still a minimal invasive procedure with no general anaesthesia etc., so recovery shouldn't take long.

Why did you have the ablation (atrial fibrillation, some kind of atrial tachycardia...)? What I could imagine is that if you were in a non-stop tachycardia before the ablation, and now have a normal heart rate, it will take some time to get used to having much slower rates.

Have you had a holter monitor or other ECG, yet, to check on your rhythm?

Hope you get better soon!

Inga

Doctors !!!

by IAN MC - 2013-05-21 05:05:08

I bet when they persuaded you to have an ablation the doctors said " Don't worry, it's a very minor procedure ! "

Now that you are having a bad recovery, they say " Give it time, you had a major procedure ! "

.. that apart though . I. don't think it is normal to feel the way you do. Were you tired and exhausted and totally out of breath before the ablation in which case it simply hasn't worked or have you got new symptoms in which case they may have created a new electric circuit which doesn't suit you ???

..only an ECG will answer those questions

I am an amateur compared to Inga and have only had one ablation but , for what it's worth, I was FULLY recovered the next day

Best of luck

Ian

Catheter Ablation Recovery

by Selwyn - 2013-05-21 08:05:07

As for myself, I had a atrial flutter catheter ablation under General Anaesthetic ( advice of electrocardiologist), as a day case, out of hospital 6pm, no after effects. I think I had a week off from swimming. I have not yet had any atrial flutter and remain on Flecainide ( a drug known to cause flutter), as a preventative for atrial fibrillation. I can always go back for the more complication prone fibrillation ablation.

Even for the more complicated atrial fibrillation catheter ablation, there should not be a prolonged recovery period with tiredness ( as snitch states). Something must be wrong! A catheter ablation produces very little damage to heart tissue in normal circumstances. However there are a number of serious complications ( from strokes to arrhythmias etc.), as well a psychological cost.

My advice is to seek further medical help.

Details

by conchfm - 2013-05-21 09:05:51

I had atrial defibrillation .

6 hour procedure, general anaesthesa, followed by a 3 night hospital stay. They went in from both sides of my groin.


University of Miami Hospital, Florida

Different Details

by IAN MC - 2013-05-21 10:05:23

I had atrial flutter

45 minutes procedure, no general anaesthesia, followed by a1 night hospital stay. They went in from one side of my groin.

Harley Street Clinic, London


I send this in case there are people who are worried about having an ablation ; it is sometimes a VERY simple procedure. In your case, without any doubt, I would contact your doctor again; I don't believe that your experience is normal !

Ian





..

Sure?

by golden_snitch - 2013-05-21 10:05:56

Hi!

Are you sure it was a general anaesthesia? They usually do not do that for catheter ablations, not even for atrial fibrillation. What they do is a sedation, so you'll sleep, but without intubation; with general anaesthesia you'd have to be intubated and you'd get a much stronger cocktail of drugs to make you sleep. You can also chose to stay awake during a catheter ablation, in that case they'll just numb your groins where the catheters are inserted. I had ablations when they went in from both sides of my groin, a vein below my collar bone plus a vein at my neck - only sedation, not general. And like I said, I was up and moving around six hours later, and then back at school a few days later.

It generally takes longer to recover, if you've had a general anaesthesia. But I'd still say it won't take three weeks.

If I were you I'd contact your doctor again, or maybe your GP, because it's not normal to be feeling that bad three weeks after an ablation.

Inga

Comment

by conchfm - 2013-05-21 11:05:07

Yes I do know General Anaesthesa in my 62 years of life. I had a catheter shoved up my penis and into my bladder for 2!, days!. I couldn't swallow for 3 days after having a tube down my throat! I know what I had thank you.

Recovery

by Duke Heart Patient - 2013-05-21 11:05:42

EVERYONE'S body is different and adjust differently to any and all types of medicines or surgeries. Some may heal/recovery faster than others do. Whatever you have done it is your body so you use your own judgment as to how far to "push" yourself getting back into a somewhat normal routine. Our mental state will never be the same. We will always worry about "it happening again" and any future procedures that may rise up. If you don't then you are telling yourself a lie. My Florida friend, you know your own body and it's strengths and weaknesses so you do what is best for you. Rest up, relax and don't push yourself so hard or you will end back up in the hospital again. As far as a full recovery from heart procedures, I really don't think there is a "full" recovery just a time of everything being ok for now. And you are better off than before the procedure, it will just take some time to get back 99.9% ...... Go sell some lottery tickets :)

Conchfm...

by golden_snitch - 2013-05-22 01:05:08

... no need for rude answers. A thank you to all those who have answered would be much more appropriate.

I asked because I often heard people claim they had a general because the sedation felt like one, but it always turned out that they in fact "only" had a sedation. By the way, they usually place a catheter in your bladder whenever catheter ablations take a couple of hours, it has nothing to do with a general - been there, done that. And it IS highly unusual to get a general anaesthesia for a catheter ablation. Within my 15 years in the EP "business" I have actually never heard of anyone getting it. Maybe that's an American phenomenon; in Germany there's no way to get a general, you just get a really good sedation that makes you feel like you had a general.

Anyways - feeling so bad three weeks later isn't normal, so I'd get that checked out.

Inga

Sedation

by golden_snitch - 2013-05-22 01:05:25

Hi Ian!

I always got a combination of Propofol, Fentanyl and Dormicum for my ablations, and that is called a sedation. No intubation needed, no anaesthesist by my side, and as soon as they stop the infusion, you're wide awake. Not that usual drowsyness that you have after a general. After a general I always had the feeling that I needed to "sleep it out", and I felt tired and a bit exhausted for days. Some doctors say a general can take weeks to months to fully leave the body. Not so with a sedation. They usually ended that infusion with Propofol etc. in the EP lab, so I woke up on the table, and was fully aware of what was going on and able to chat with the docs. I was allowed to drink right when I got back to my room, and eat just an hour later or so. Not so after general anaesthesia.

I cannot tell you exactly where the cut off point from IV sedation to general is, but I know that I slept like a baby with both, but recovered much much quicker after a sedation. During the interventions there really was no difference, except for the missing intubation when I had the sedations. But waking up afterwards was a lot different, a lot better after sedation only (no throwing up either which I always have after a general).

So, I'm sure you're right saying that some doctors "sell" a sedation as a general to their patients or even call it a general sedation. But I'm sure that EPs would not be doing as many ablations as they are doing, if every ablation would indeed include a full general anaesthesia. Makes the procedure much more expensive - more drugs plus an anaesthesist -, and more risky.

Best wishes
Inga

Sedation v Anaesthesia

by IAN MC - 2013-05-22 11:05:31

Hi Inga. I agree with your observation on the response from Conchfm !

I think whether an agent acts as a sedative or an anaesthetic can be totally down to the dosage given.

I was offered Propofol when I had an ablation and the anaesthetist described it as a " General " . It is offered to patients in the UK because some people experience pain during the ablation. I refused and didn't feel a thing

Depending on dosage Propofol can vary between " a little something to make you drowsy " to a state of total unconsciousness ( it is used to execute people in the states )

When does IV sedation become general anaesthesia ? I don't think the cut off point is that clear...maybe it is whether you need assistance with your breathing or not ?

As far as most patients are concerned if they are asleep and don't feel or remember anything then they had a " general " but this may not be strictly true

Ian

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