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Atrial Fibrillation

Posted , 10 users are following.

marion12117
marion12117

I`m just wondering if anyone who has atrial fibrillation has had surgery of any kind and was it a problem at all? 

1 like, 31 replies

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  • Greebo64
    Greebo64 marion12117

    Posted

    Warning !!

    To anyone with AF who is thinking of having ablation surgery

    I have some very important info' for this group. I am an AF sufferer since 2008.in 2010 i had my first catheter ablation the new "Arctic front Ablation" [cryo/freezing method] it worked for around 18months but then the AF returned., i put up with it for a couple of years, but I was then recommended another ablation called Point to Point catheter ablation which is the usual or common ablation technique, which burns the problem areas. This was supposed to be "very Low risk minimal invasion Day surgery" with few complications & i was told nothing to worry about we can deal with the complications should any arise. So i went in for the surgery a few ago. During the ablation the prosedure the surgeon peirced a hole in the wall of my heart & he could not stop the bleeding, i was rushed to another theatre [unconcious] where another team had to open my chest, Put me on a bypass machine to enable them to repair the hole & stop the bleeding, i was in theartre a total of around 7 hours, i had to have a transfusion, i was then hept in a comma & put on a life suppoprt machine for 24 hours, following that i was in intensive care for a further 48 hours. several weeks on I am still recovering from this Nightmare.. Also whilst i was in hospital i spoke to another AF ablation patient who had suffered the same heart puncture during the ablation, but he was a bit luckier than me, they managed to stop his bleed without openenig his chest. I have had several different operations over the years & i have never had an issue with bleeding before

    My advice to anyone with AF thinking of having an ablation,THINK VERY CAREFULLY, IT IS A DANGEROUS PROCEDURE!!  I almost lost my life

    Graham

    • pebbalita
      pebbalita Greebo64

      Posted

      IMPORTANT re BLEEDING! while on Blood thinners (anticoagulants ) IT depends on WHICH one..for instance Warafrin has an anridote..shots of Vitamin K will stop the bleeds if occur wheher in or not in an operation setting ..BUT MANY HERE DO NOT REASEARCH ..AND DISCOVER THHAT THE NEWER DRUGS , XARELTO. PLABIX. and a couple of others DO NOT have an antidote and doctors AND DENTISTS MUST be told if you are taking one of he newer variety .as I WAS on Xareleto (JUST BEEB Switched to Plavix which drs say less stroke prevention BUT less blr=eeds they THINK ..Remember these drugs are STILL new and XARELTO on ME caused an internal bleed and I CAN NOT be OPERTATED on for IT TOO RISKY..so I wonder what blood thinner were YOU on GRAHAM???

      I am now terrifies of XARELTO and although felt good while taking it 10mg. (for stroke  PREVENTION .drs said I needed and increase to at least 18 to 20 mg..As soon as I switched to 13mg YIKES we are trying to deal with an innner blleed were my mastectomy scar is (done 16 Xarelto caused the bleed ..and 3 SPECIALISTS are hoping I will NOT have to be cut ..even though off arelto ..Plavix also has NO ANTIDOTE...for bleeds ..

      PLEASE everyone ALERT your doctors AND Dentists if you are on one of the NEWER anticoagulants because if you just tell them you take a blood thinner or anticoagulant ..MANY doctors , believe it or not are NOT fully informed of the risks with the NEWER drugs and MANY ASSUME that you are taking WARFARIN which DOES have Vit K to stop any bleeding risks in sugery or not...

      Xarelto is getting a veryy bad rap now and of course slass action law suits for NO WARNINGS  on packages re no antidote

      (ISIS drug company claims to have one FDA approved which stops all bleeds 70% BUT of course we have to WAIT..Disgusting that WE are not allowed to make the decision that could save our lives  IF alrady FDA approved ..we SHOULD  form on FB and sign petitions as I have said before ..when we have NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE and it is risky switching these newer drugs also...Amen

    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 pebbalita

      Posted

      Hi Pebbalita

      I was on the new Apixaban,& there is no reversal agent for the anticoagulant.

      The one big mistake by the Hospital was that the y told me to stop taking this drug the day before the operation [aprox' 24 hours] i have found out since that it should have been stopped at least 48 before the surgery..i believe that this is possibly the reason they could not stop the bleeding.. ABLATION, NEVER AGAIN !!

      Graham 

    • pebbalita
      pebbalita Greebo64

      Posted

      Graham THAT is why the bleeding episode ..I KEEP warning people to make sure thier SUGEON is AWARE of and KNOWs that the newer derug like yours AND mine (I have sice stopped that awful Xarelto have NO antidote and it IS dangerous for ANY operation because ni reversal for bleding..warfarin the older drug HAS ..A shot or two of Vitamin K will reverse bleeding..I have been switched from Xarelto to Plavix ..STILLL no antidote and less anti strike but supodedly les nledding risk (APART from by operation) So as MANY soctors and surgeons are NOT fully aware of htese newer drugs DO NOT LET THEN ASSUME you are taking WARFARIN (  whuch as I said DOES have an antidote .

      .So it IS important to say WHICH  anticoagulant you take before and operation and some say although dangerus for stroke SHOULD be stopped a week before ANY op...

      It shocks me to discover that the FDA HAS approved a fast acting drug for bleed stopping for these newer drugs BUT they are not yet AVAILABLE although FDA Approved ..WTH ??? we are not alowed to take the chance of risking using them as opposed to NO ANTIDOTE..a prredicament I am in ...about an op for another problem..I think this is shocking and we should ALL petitition the FDA to HURRY UP and make the antodote AVAIVABLE to those of us who need it.especially when we need an operation....I asked for thhose who wanted to sign a petition to contact me ..NO ONE DID ..Are NONE of you bothered about this ???

    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 pebbalita

      Posted

      The surgeon who performed the botched operation was the one who put me on this Apixiban anticoagulant drug, i questioned it at the time simply because i was aware there is no reversal drug for this, but the consultant told me not to worry because there were ways that they could deal with any bleeding complications. In This case of mine they obviously could not deal with the complication they were faced with, & i very nearly bled to death...its just not good enough...all patients should be made very aware of ALL possible complications before they consent
  • Greebo64
    Greebo64 marion12117

    Posted

    Hi Marion

    I was on the new Apixaban,& there is no reversal agent for the anticoagulant.

    The one big mistake by the Hospital was that the y told me to stop taking this drug the day before the operation [aprox' 24 hours] i have found out since that it should have been stopped at least 48 before the surgery..i believe that this is possibly the reason they could not stop the bleeding.. ABLATION, NEVER AGAIN !!

    Graham 

  • sammis2u
    sammis2u marion12117

    Posted

    I have Atrial fibrillation, one cardio during an angio saw flutter and monitors show SVT. I guess altogether equals arrhythmia.  Ablation has been offered a few times but I have opted to go the medicinal route. Its becoming more unstable lately so not sure if I can keep ablation at bay much longer. I would also be interested in hearing from some who have had Afib too and how they handle it.
    • Greebo64
      Greebo64 sammis2u

      Posted

      After what i have experienced & posted on here, If you are really considering ablation, then ask your consultant about Arctic front Ablation & if this is suitable for you, this is the safer freezing method where the catheter only has to touch one point of the vein, much much safer than the point to point ablation where they use very fine catheters to burn the tissue, this is a longer routine & they have much more to do with the catheter to get rid of the tissue,hence more chance of doing damage elsewhere...i did not know all this before my surgery its what i have learned since.

      good luck to all

  • pebbalita
    pebbalita marion12117

    Posted

    Hi Marion I

    I wrote a LONG post which Disappeared GRrrrrrrrrrrrr regarding the intense research I have been doing regarding anti coagulants the newer ines have NO antidote to stop any bleeding Internal or otherwise  ANY operatin of course causin=es bleeding,,,,,,so it does depend on WHUCH blood thinner you are on IF you are on one,,as the older Wrarfarin DOES have VitK to inject and stop any bleeding but requires much more modratin and blood testing (My veins will not take it am being tested profoundly  by Ulra sounds (3) and waiting for results of a more intense Cat scan to see  HOW much and IF I am able to have ANY operation with the frug PLAVIX blood thinner I anm on..# well kknown surgeoen s want ME to help them decide as it is/will be risky for many reasons not just from my AFIB which of course is more delicate for an op BUT to see if they dare take me off Blood thinners for one week to operate? ( more strike risk) and IF I bleed no reversal drug to stop bleeding as Warfarin has .

    So I wait to SEE if they dare risk operating for rmaoval of the built up Coagulated blood in my breats or to NOT take out theat plus a silicone implnat which may have ruptured (A mastectomy recontructed 13 years ago..so there are risks and I know may people here  on this site THINK Doctors can do miricales NOT the BEST will admit that the newer drugs like Xarelto an =d others have not been used long enough to know the dangers YEY_T except they do know the FEAR of a bleed .

    So if on this site yu read "Don;t worry Surgeons KNOW what to do if a risky bleed occurs NOT TRUE the HONEST ones will know and TELL us who CARE the risks involved ...so In answer to yur questin I would say it DEPENDS wheteher or not yu areon a blood thinner (Anti coagulant..OF course AFIB is slightly riskier when operating as our heart rythym is different and so is every patient so GOOD Luckk and Internet has w WEALTH of information so google a lot and know that sURGEONS yet usually have not the time for the research WE patients can do..so read and have at LEAST 3 cardiologists opinions *( many disagree as of yet,,but the younger ones and most with modern techniques are more informed .  a more in depth Cat scan due to what surgeons believe is an internal bleed caused by the newer drug Xarelto which I was on for 28 ninths,,,They quickly switched me to Plavix which also has no antidote to stop a major blleed and I have also the mmisfortune to have a very RARE blood type (RH NEG A ) if a blood transfusuion would attemt to sto a bleed so for me majjor decision for MY operation

    Best of Luck

    Deb I wish my original post had not disappeared because dur to many hours of research was much more in formative nd some folk here would have benifittted from it as do my doctors THEY Thank me for the almost weekly UPDATES 

  • Greebo64
    Greebo64 marion12117

    Posted

    Hi again,

    I noticed that someone somewhere on the forum had posted that they had stopped Anticoagulants in favour of Omega3 & VitaminE, i hve tried to find the poster again but failed, can the poster of this info' or any member advise on the dosage & possible effect of theses vitamins.

    Thanks

    Graham

  • cadence
    cadence marion12117

    Posted

    I had surgery on my Stomach last year. I just stopped the Warfarin a few days(3?) before Opn. they did an INR befor I left Hospital and advisewd on dose.

    you will be told exactlly what to do. I dont think theres any risk. Probably no more risk than normal. (not sure how old you question is as i cant see a date on the site)

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