Someone near and dear to me has just been to JR Hospital for a consultation with a view to a cardiac ablation.
I've seen some pretty negative seeming posts on other forums about cardiac ablation and wondered if anyone here has any experiences with or thoughts about either the hospital or the procedure?
DrNickRiviera? Drac? TandemJeremy? Sorry if I've missed a medic or two...
Thanks
Julian
Hello, ITU nurse here.
A good mate and riding buddy of mine had ablation for recurrent AF beginning of the year and it was a complete success, he's had no issues since. Be warned though it doesn't always work but if at the stage where it's being considered you are pretty far along the path of treatments I would have thought.
Not sure what technique using at JR but are some much improved and way safer catheters being used now than even only a few years ago.
Cycling Plus have a "team" each year, and in 2009 the female member was found to have an arrythmia when they did some physiological testing, resulting in her having cardiac ablation. It worked for her and I can recall her describing her first ride after the procedure in an article.
Cardiac ablation was good enough for Tony Blair.
The Radcliffe is generally pretty well regarded; I know several eminent people who work in the ITU.
Andy
The John Radcliffe were fantastic to us during the birth of our daughter (three days of heinousness and then an emergency cesarean) and again when she had a seizure/choking episode at 14 days. Everyone we dealt with was magnificent.
Further, friends have a young son who was born with a heart problem. The JR dealt with it immediately after he was born (it was known about pre-birth) and have looked after him since (5 years now). I know they feel he is receiving the best care possible.
I have always found the jr to be head and shoulders above other local hospitals in the areas of emergency care and i
Imunology not eperienced their cardio lot, but if i had to pick an nhs hospital it wouldbe that one.
tannoy/ DrP to the Forum
can't comment on JR as I'm in Wales.
If Cardiac ablation is good enough for Tony Bliar then it's good enough for your mate!
ITU nurse here, with no experience of cardiac ablation or the JR, just saying hello... 
i have just been diagnosed with AF.
is cardiac ablation the same has cardioversion?
No Ton, ablation is burning away of the aberrant cells causing the dodgy signals, essentially removing dodgy wiring.
Cardioversion is jump starting heart to let it reboot and try to get back into normal sinus rhythm.
and cardiac ablation is used when drugs and cardioversion fail??
No ton, not quite the same.
Cardioversion is a way of converting the heart rhythm back to normal by a small electric shock.
Ablation is a way of stopping a conduction problem in the heart by shutting off the problematic bit by destroying the nerve that is causing the problem.
...I was trying to avoid the burning bit...
The STW makeover appears to have incorporated NHS Re-Direct... although that's not a bad thing.
Edit: can't offer any advice, but my sister trained in the JR & sings its praises. All the best to your mum.
Thanks for the useful posts. Some encouraging points here. It's my mother in the frame.
Sorry, perhaps burning not most pleasant way of putting. Crikey got better wording, am bit brain dead from sitting in study days.
Best wishes for your Mom.
does it always burn away one's dignity, or was that just Tony ?
As has been mentioned, ablation is usaually a last line approach for severe, recurrent, symptomatic arrythia, that hasn't gotten better with medications.
AFAIK it has a roughly 50% success, but of course on an individual basis this will differ.
It's actually really interesting to see how they create an 'electrical map' of the heart with the probe/catheter - it's a specialist subject though, so that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge....
Ton - cardioversion is a method of 'restarting' the normal electrical pathways in the heart i.e. reverting from AF etc to sinus rythm, using a DC electrical shock.
Again, not always successful...
"Clear....THUNK...."
DrP
I cant vouch for JR hospital, but last year I had two cardiac ablation procedures to "fix" WPW syndrome.
The first was under sedation. The last thing I remember was a short scary nurse approaching me with a pair of scissors with the intention of cutting off my paper pants (!) This procedure was stopped because I was apparently experiencing "extreme" discomfort in the chest area. I don't remember it, so only have the consultants word for this.
The second was under general anesthetic. No-one warned me about needing to have a tube down my throat, and waking up with a really sore throat was the only issue I had.
I was very aware of my heart beat for about a fortnight after both procedures, and still experienced regular palpitations for about a month. I now have a normal ECG, but every so often (about once in every 6 weeks) I experience a bout of palpations that require a pause for breath and a sit down. My consultant said that they weren't a problem and I was "fine"
Can't comment on the JR but a mate of mine had cardiac ablation following an episode of SVT. It worked a treat.
Way way beyond my skill level and don't have much knowledge of it, Crikey and other have covered it though. I'd say it'll be the same cardio-version it'll work really well or just not work. Of course there's risks involved but if they use the less invasive technique of catheters then it they are less. It's about looking at current lifestyle, possible lifte style versus risks.
Ablation is extremely safe and almost completely successful for most arrhythmias. (AVNRT, AVRT, WPW)
Ablation for AF is more problematic.
If you only have short bursts of AF (paroxysmal) then there's a high success rate.
Persistant & permanant AF is much more difficult to sort.
Simple Ablation for most arrhythmias can be done within an hour with a little bit of sedation.
2-4 2mm tubes are placed in the vein in the groin.
It's mostly pain free and you're home the same day.
Success rate is close to 100% and serious complications is less than 1 in 1000 (which is good as far as operations go)
AF ablations can be more painful as the area treated is a little more sensitive, also the procedure can last a few hours.
Ablation is not the last line of treatment at all.
It is curative, and as such, is far superior to drugs such as beta-blockers which a lot of people don't like (fatigue, loss of libido etc)
I don't work in the JR but have been there for conferences.
It has an excellent reputation.
I would take an ablation procedure before nasty drugs like betas & amioderone etc.
Don't worry, it's common, safe and successful.
mmmmm amiodarone
+1 for everything in 2wheels post except the success rate which, as far as i'm aware, both anecdotally and evidence wise, is lower. but still good.
Close to 100% (>95%) for our patients (for AVNRT, conceled AVRT, WPW)
AF success rates vary, depending on type, (paroxysmal, persistant or permanant) and cause (mitral valve disease, High blood pressure etc)
Cycling Plus have a "team" each year, and in 2009 the female member was found to have an arrythmia when they did some physiological testing, resulting in her having cardiac ablation. It worked for her and I can recall her describing her first ride after the procedure in an article.
Goes by the name popette on bikeradar. Have met her a couple of times (first time at the top of the Ventoux, as we'd just finished the 2009 Etape). Nice lady.
At last, a topic I can put a decent contribution into!
I had Paroxsysmal AF. Diagnosed in Feb 2000 and put up with it until Feb 2007 when the good doctors of Papworth Hospital ablated the skin around my pulmonary veins of my left atrium.
It's all gone now and I am fitter, healthier and better than before.
The downsides of the op were:
Wearing paper pants for the op.
Having a couple of big holes in your right femoral vein.
Having the resulting haematoma from the two holes in said vein removed using a fist and the body weight of the nurse.
Not having a good view of what they were doing during the op.
That's about it.
It was the best thing I could have had done, and I am very glad I did it. Ok, so I had to take warfaring for a couple of months, and injecting yourself with clexane is not exactly an awesome thing, but it's a small price to pay to be able to get a normal life back. It also beats having to have the odd cardioversion once in a while (which hurts).
Thanks for all your help! As I suspected she might, my mother found this thread on Google and was intersted in, and informed by, the replies. So, thanks again, STW! Came up trumps again. This place can be a great help.
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