Posted by Ken Willis on May 02, 2002 at 23:22:05:
In Reply to: Virginia Mason posted by Terry Sawyer on April 30, 2002 at 22:07:52:
Terry:
I had a radio frequency ablation around two pulmonary veins at Virginia Mason in December. Prior to the ablation I was getting afibs an average of 3 to 4 times per month (on sotalol), and since the ablation I get them an average of 3 times per week and have added atrial flutter to my arrhythmia arsenal. In March I had a dual-site atrial pacemaker placed at Virginia Mason, but unfortunately that didn't work either. At least it didn't make my afib problem any worse.I think that Virginia Mason is a good place (I was also born there!), but they just weren't able to solve my afib problem. When I first went to Dr. Fellows last July, he told my wife and me that the success rate for his ablations had been about 50%, but when we went in the day before the Dec. procedure, he had several months of additional data and said that the success rate was about 30% (my wife remembers 20-30%).
I think that my best chance of shedding the curse of afibs is through maze surgery, but I did meet someone locally who had an ablation by Dr. Fellows at Virginia Mason in November, and he has been free of afibs ever since.
Ken Willis
Mount Vernon, WA