Posted by Steve Giddings on May 23, 2002 at 22:29:59:
In Reply to: Help.I don't know what to do ! posted by Laura Wood on May 21, 2002 at 18:20:07:
If you can, I would get accurate information from the cardiologist/electrophysiologist at your own hospital about what their success rate for ablations is. One of the problems with ablations is that they appear to work at first, but a fib tends to recur with time so make sure to ask how long the follow up period is that they use to estimate success rate. This is because the pathways that allow af to develop are not eliminated by this procedure, at least as it is commonly done. The maze is quite successful. The absolute success rate appears to vary somewhat depending on the center/surgeon. For that reason I would also check with the surgeon you are considering for the procedure. PAcers without AV node ablation are not particularly successful. I agree with the comments about av node ablation. You don't want it if you can avoid it. It commits you to a pacer for life, and while it makes your heartbeat regularly, it does not correct a fib. The opinions fo the folks who post regularly to this board may be a bit biased. MAny of us have had the maze. Almost all of us will tell you that it worked and that we have been able to return to our pre-afib life styles, including athletic activities.