Posted by Terri Hedblom on December 23, 2002 at 10:58:39:
In Reply to: Re: Tetrology of Fallot and Maze Surgery at Mayo Clinic posted by Sarah on December 22, 2002 at 23:18:39:
Sarah,
I was in atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter for 3-4 years. My local doctor treated the condition with coumadin and lanoxin, but didn't think anything would work. Needless to say, that doc is no longer my doc. I found out about the Mayo Clinic specialty clinic for Adults with Congenital Heart Defects in October 2000.
I think I was in a-fib or a-flutter most of those years, but don't recall my heart rate before the meds. When my Mayo doctor cardio-verted me and put me on amiodarone, my heart rate became extremely slow. We had to adjust to a very small dose of amiodarone- less than 100 mg per day.
After my maze surgery, my heart rate was fast- 120+ bpm, so I went back on amio for 6 weeks. I was off the meds by Sept. 1, so my heart rate apparently stayed slow on its own. My EKG and Holter readings showed an average beat of 41, with the atria beating faster than the ventricles. I also had an episode of complete heart block, where my heart stopped beating for 3 seconds- this was overnight.
The doctor feels that most of this was a result of my tricuspid valve repair that was done at the same time the maze was done. It also could be part of my heart defect (tetrology of fallot). Once I was in sinus rhythm, the underlying problem surfaced, which required the pacemaker. A pacemaker was always considered, so yes, there were indications I'd need a pacer before the maze surgery.
I'm being paced at 70 bpm and since it's so soon after the implant, I can't really tell how much better I feel. Once the incision heals and the swelling goes down, I expect I'll be able to do much more than before both the maze and the pacemaker.
If you want to know anything else about the defects or the repairs/surgeries, let me know.
Terri