Posted by Carl Plaskett on October 15, 2001 at 12:16:14:
In Reply to: Heart rate posted by TC on October 15, 2001 at 10:43:28:
TC: There may be some more learned contributors to this board who may offer a more detailed answer to your question, but I believe the answer to be: After the extensive surgery & sutures, cryogenic scar tissue, etc., one's heart is just not as flexible as before the maze. Hence, it has to work a little harder (faster) to pump a given amount of blood.
As the incisions and scar tissue heal, the heart becomes more flexible and the normal resting heart rate goes down. The more exercise one does post maze, the more flexible the heart becomes, which is pretty much the same as with any surgery involving muscle tissue (knees, torn muscles, or surgery which involves going through muscle tissue), ie: therapy improves flexibility.
I believe you will see from past posts that most,if not all of the serious aerobic exercisers have pretty much returned to close to their former (pre-afib) resting heart rates, even though some of us are considerably older now, and lost a lot of our previous conditioning (myself being a prime example). My resting HR at age 50 (pre chronic afib) was 50 or less. Now, as I sit at the computer at work, it is hanging around 68-70, and I am 30lbs overweight and pushing age 61. I am not disappointed!
- Re: Heart rate Terry Gann 15:47:42 10/15/2001 (1)
- Re: Heart rate Anders Kingstedt 14:48:15 10/17/2001 (0)