Posted by steve giddings on August 14, 2002 at 17:11:09:
In Reply to: Re: 5 Month Post Maze Report, 4th Posting posted by Carl Plaskett on August 13, 2002 at 16:41:40:
Ed's summary is pretty much on target. I'm not sure it is just heart "flexibility that changes. The heart rate is, without the nervous system connections, bout 90 bpm. The parasymapthetic nervous system slows the rate from that level. Those nerves, and their course to the SA node, are probably altered by the surgery, and like the numb spots in my groin where I was hooked up to bypass, may never fully recover.
My hr at baseline is now 40-45. It was as low as 30-32 before maze. My aerobic performance is now, almost 4 years post op, a little better than it was 5 years ago in normal sinus. I'll tell you about my overall performance level after this week. I'm at USRowing Masters Nationals. I hadn't gone for several years prior to having the maze. I couldn't row in group boats because I never knew what my performance status would be. I likened going into af during a race like driving an outboard full speed and then pulling the prop half way out of the water. The rpms went up but the effective power went way down.
The best part though is no meds, no worry about going into af, no anticoagulation No excuses on the starting line is just one added benefit.