Atrial Fibrillation Blog

If you are considering a procedure of any kind, especially an atrial fibrillation procedure, you’ll want to read this about the importance of time outs in the operating room…

Speak Up for Your Safety Before Your Procedure

Tags: Cure, Treatment by Mellanie
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The Arctic Front® Cryoballoon Procedure for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation will be featured in a live webcast on August 30, 2008.

Learn more…

Tags: Cure, Treatment by Mellanie
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In Atrial Fibrillation Patient Discussion Forums, we mentioned the A-fibcures group, which focuses on non-pharmaceutical atrial fibrillation cures.

Much of the recent group discussion has centered on understanding the confusing and ever-changing landscape of atrial fibrillation surgery. Group moderator, Carl Plaskett, reached out to THE authority on the Maze procedure, Dr. Jim Cox, known as the “Father of Maze Surgery”, to provide some clarity around atrial fibrillation surgery.

Dr. Cox was kind enough to write up a brief white paper. It’s a fascinating look at where we are, and where we have been, in trying to cure atrial fibrillation.

Find out more and access the White Paper by Dr. Cox

Tags: Cure, Resources, Treatment, Uncategorized by Mellanie
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One topic, AV node ablation, makes the rounds of the atrial fibrillation discussion groups on a regular basis, and has just come back around again. All at about the same time, several afib patients’ doctors have insisted that they have an AV node ablation with a pacemaker implant. Thus they have come seeking others’ experiences.

In this procedure, the AV (atrio-ventricular) node is frozen or cauterized to stop electrical signals from being transmitted from the upper chambers, the atria, to the lower chambers, the ventricles, and a permanent pacemaker is implanted to control the heart’s electrical system.

Supposedly, at least according to some doctors, the AV node ablation will eliminate afib, or at least patients won’t feel it any more. Wrong, say many who have had the procedure. They still feel it, and they are just as miserable.

And whether or not you feel your afib, it’s still damaging your heart, and you’re still at risk of blood clots and strokes. Thus you’ll probably still be on anticoagulants, such as Coumadinâ or warfarin.

I don’t have anything against pacemakers – they do a great job of keeping people alive and of detecting irregularities. We’re lucky to have this technology.

But please, please, just don’t sever that AV node that connects the atria to the ventricles. It’s so FINAL. You probably won’t be able to take advantage of advances in medical technology, and if there’s a problem with your pacemaker, you darn sure better be able to get to an emergency room quickly.

So, lets see…

• you’ll still have afib
• you’ll still be at risk of strokes
• you’ll probably still be on Coumadinâ
• you’ll be pacemaker-dependant
• you may not be able to take advantage of advances in medical technology

Now, why is it you would WANT an AV node ablation? Duh!

This controversy seems to be pitting patients against their doctors. One mentioned that her doctor thought she was obstinate for not wanting an AV node ablation. She’s not being obstinate. It’s her body, and she gets to make the decisions. She doesn’t want one, and considers the procedure prehistoric. She’s right!

Maybe for some patients it’s the only answer. But I suspect that applies to far fewer patients than actually get the procedure. Is this just another case of Clueless Doctors who are just not aware of what afib does to us? Or are these doctors unaware of all the other Options Available? Or is it an economic decision? I sure hope not. Is it naïve to still believe that doctors want the best for their patients and will help them find a cure?

What has been your experience regarding AV node ablation? You’re welcome to join the discussion, but before you jump over there, please share your thoughts and comments below. Thanks.

Tags: Cure, Treatment by Mellanie
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I’m mad and must post this before I explode. Today alone I’ve answered a dozen e-mails or comments from folks suffering with atrial fibrillation around the same theme—their clueless doctors!

Now don’t get me wrong, there are so many good doctors out there. And the doctors to those folks who e-mailed me are probably very good, too. The problem is that most of our doctors don’t truly understand what afib does to us. And part of it may be that we don’t communicate it so that they will understand. So it’s time for us to stand up and tell them exactly what afib does to us.

Afib takes a huge toll, not just physical, but emotional and financial as well. Not just on us, but on our families, too. Here are just a few of those things.

• Huge medical bills from all those trips to the emergency room, tests, and procedures.
• No medical insurance–once you have afib, you can’t get medical insurance. If you can get it, you can’t afford it because it’s too expensive. (Try $1,600-$2,500 per month and more just for a family of 3.)
• Losing time from work, which means lost income.
• Losing your job, or even having to change careers.
• Losing cars, houses, life-savings, retirement savings, everything!

In my case, my family had to travel with me as they couldn’t let me out of their sight for fear I’d have blood clots and a stroke while off by myself (due to blood clots and a near-stroke with my very first afib episode). Now that’s expensive!

But we don’t talk about the financial impact—it’s just too embarrassing. We have to change that. If doctors don’t know this, they will just diddle around, experimenting, figuring that they will eventually find a treatment that works while we deal with meds with nasty side effects that make us feel like crap, meds that quickly stop working, or being on Coumadin and looking like we’re battered. We’re the ones suffering, and our doctors just don’t realize what it’s doing to us. Give us an afib cure already!

And while they’re fiddling, Rome is burning. Afib begets afib–the longer you have it, the worse it gets, and the harder it becomes to solve. I hear from so many people that just can’t get it solved because they have had it for so long.

As a patient, I tell my doctors that I want to know all of my options so I can make the decision. And I want to research all the pros and cons and talk with others before I do. As my doctor, you should expect no less from me than to be an informed patient. Help me to be so.

I see many folks just going around their doctors and self-referring to surgeons and EPs (electrophysiologists are cardiologists that specialize in heart rhythms) looking for an atrial fibrillation cure. They shouldn’t have to. Our doctors need to work with us as a team to help us solve this problem. We have to help them truly understand how afib affects us and what it is doing to our families as well.

Life is too short to live it in afib.

So, what about you? What have you experienced? Does your doctor really understand and help you solve this problem?

Tags: Cure, General, Prevention, Treatment by Mellanie
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