The incidence of AF after atrial flutter ablation varies in the literature, but in general the incidence of AF is about 50% at 5 years, and may be even higher. The CTI ablation does not trigger AF. It is that atrial flutter typically starts with a brief episode of afib that then organizes and sustains as atrial flutter. Ablation of atrial flutter eliminates the sustained atrial flutter circuit, but the afib triggers remain present and will often manifest over time. The most common triggers for afib are alcohol and stress.
It may take some time and medical adjustments to get your heart rate under better control when you are in a fib. Medication to control the rhythm is also an option. if these do not help, then you can consider catheter ablation. You should discuss these options with your cardiologist.
It is not clear to me what your question is. But you should see your physician to discuss these symptoms. Fortunately, if it has only happened twice over 20 years, you are doing pretty well.
Atrial fibrillation is very common as you get older, particularly with some structural heart disease. AF can be treated with blood thinners and medications or ablation. Treatment of sleep apnea is important as well. You should see a cardiologist to discuss management of your AF. I can not understand your particular problem from this message.
Septal aneurisms on echo have certainly been described. While the incidence of septal aneurisms is slightly higher in those who have had a stroke in some series, there is no study I know of that shows this is associated with stroke in the general population.It would be very unusual to have a thoracic aneurism at age 32. There are many causes of chest pain. It is best for you to discuss this with your cardiologist.
Anxiety does not cause a fib, but if you have a fib anxiety may contribute to more frequent episodes. Many medications have \"arrhythmia\" listed as side effects, because this is a common complaint, in general. But in my experience a fib is typically not triggered by anti-anxiety medications. As stated previously, nonpharmacologic stress reduction techniques such as yoga or meditation may help reduce both anxiety and afib without needing medication.
Yes, these causes certainly exist. It is well described that increased vagal tone can trigger AF, and this is the same part of the nervous system that is most active during sleep and digestion. So distension of the stomach, sleep, etc can trigger a fib. I had a patient once who could reliably trigger his AF by drinking a can of cold diet soda! Treating the underlying problem, by for example eating smaller meals and treating GERD, may reduce episodes, but typically does not eliminate them. If symptoms persist, the same options for treatment of AF exist - anti arrhythmic drugs or catheter ablation. Regardless of the pattern of onset (exercise or sleep), the triggers still typically exit from the pulmonary veins and can be effectively treated with ablation.
I have had some prior experience with body surface mapping of arrhythmias, but none with the current ECGi technology. Dr Haissaguerre argues that he can identify \"rotors\" using ECGi and that ablation of these rotors improves outcome in patients with persistent AF. I have some concerns about the ability of ECGi to resolve rotors in the heart during AF, but clearly this approach is worthy of further investigation.
Many patients seem to have more skipped beats and AF lying on their left side. I know of know explanation for this, but my opinion is that it may lead to stretching of the pulmonary veins that triggers extrasystoles. You may also notice these extra beats more when supine then when you are upright because of the position of the heart in the chest.
There is not much solid data on this. But in my experience anxiety does not cause afib, but if you have afib it certainly can exacerbate it and lead to more frequent episodes. I know of no medications for treating anxiety that also trigger a fib. In general if you reduce your anxiety, you may have less AF. This can be through pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic means. There is some recent data from Dr Lakireddy, the coeditor of this journal, that relaxation techniques such as Yoga, biofeedback and acupuncture can reduce AF episodes (Kanmanthreddy et al. J Thoracic Dis 2015;7:185-92). I have one patient with AF refractory to multiple medications and ablation, who has had significant improvement with acupuncture.
Dr. Andrea Natale
Dr. Andrea Natale is a board certified electrophysiology expert and practices at executive medical director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center in Austin, Texas. Dr. Natale also is the Senior Medical Director at Pacific Atrial Fib and Arrhythmia Center in San Francisco. He visits MetroHealth in Cleveland, and Akron General, Ohio. He has pioneered a new circumferential ultrasound vein-ablation system to correct atrial fibrillation and performed the procedure on the world's first five patients. For further details Please visit :Link
Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy
Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MD, F.A.C.C, FHRS. is a board certified electrophysiology expert and practices at Mid-America Cardiology and The University of Kansas Hospital Clinics in Kansas City, KS, USA. He has several distinctions in clinical and research career to his credit and serves as an associate editor for Journal of Atrial Fibrillation.For further details Please visit :Link
Dr. Dhanunjay Lakkireddy, MD, F.A.C.C, FHRS, The Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute (KCHRI), KS, USA.
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