Posted by Sarah on February 28, 2004 at 23:37:00:
In Reply to: amazing pics of ablation posted by Jeanne on February 26, 2004 at 19:53:16:
Well guys, I watched the whole thing! They'd say..."You can see"....and I couldn't!!!! Kept remembering Henry's words about how he feels about ablation, (even after having one). I thought he was just being a big chicken. If little old ME could have MORE than one, why was he being a weenie?
I have begun to concour! All surgery looks so "primative" to me. I mean, did you see him bending the catheter with his thumb to make it curve more? To control the catheter, he was "rolling" it between finger and thumb, to make it flip over, and slide through the hole, poked, "poke-poke", in the wall that seperates left/right atrium! Did you see how fast he'd poke a wire up, from the groin, to the Supra veina cava? MADE ME NERVOUS.
How the heck can they tell what they're doing? I reminded myself that I feel the same way about X-rays, and there ARE radiologists who save peoples lives all the time by being adept at reading them. Thank God!
Did you notice he was doing a "focal" ablation, and not linear? I think MY ablation at CC was a maze of linear lines, burned to corral the pesky little errant impulses. I was told that focal lesions may not get them all.
It was cool.....but didn't make me feel any more comfortable about ablation over a Maze. Even with the Maze causing fluid retention in the pulmonary system, ICU stay, pain, and other complications and dangers of an "open maze procedure, I still think the Maze is safer, and proven more predictable for anyone who wants a life without Afib!
I've had three ablation procedures because I'm not a candidate for anything else! Didn't have a choice, though I'm not complaining, because I AM a member of the EX-Afib club here!!! I'm just saying that after learning all I've learned about these surgical cure options, I'd choose a Maze over Ablation, if given a choice.
After being at Cleveland Clinics AF Summit this summer, and having watched Dr.Gillinov do an open operation on a man who had bad valves and Afib/flutter, I've learned a lot.
To replace a valve, ablate with RF and cryo with your own eyes, my reaction is similar to Henry's.
Open surgery just "connects" with my sense of logic. I continue to admire, and am totally awed by Dr. Schweikert, Natale, etc. They must be slight of hand magicians to do what they do with those wires, some 20-30inches away from their hands, their attention, bouncing between flouroscopy, and monitor/computer screens to visualize what they are doing!!!! It just blows me away!
Sorry to go on so.....
- Re: amazing pics of ablation Henry Alken 10:38:08 2/29/2004 (0)