Answer:

In order to prevent further episodes, I would recommend that you take a specific anti-arrhythmic drug (flecainide, propathenon, sothalol,quinidine, etc.). If this therapy is not sufficient, I would strongly consider the possibility of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in your case. This therapy is curative and is highly effective in the absence of any underlying heart disease and when performed at young age like in your case.

Answer:

An appropriate answer to your question requires accurate evaluation of your records. First of all, which kind of atrial tachycardia have you been ablated for? Was is always the same? Do we have electrophysiological or electrocardiographic evidence for that tachycardia? Did the same electrophysiologist perform all the six procedures? How old are you? What is your co-morbidity (associated diseases)? I would certainly recommend that you’re investigated by an alternate specialist in this case, and that your condition is evaluated by an alternate specialist. A specific answer to all these questions would help to guide you through the most appropriate treatment to possibly fix your problems once forever. In the meantime, I would not recommend that you have your AV node be ablated by any investigator.

Answer:

The young age of your husband makes me think that his atrial fibrillation is arising in the context of no underlying heart diseases. In any case, a cardiologist investigation should be required to put his atrial fibrillation relapses in clinical context. If, as expected, no underlying heart disease is found, then his blood pressure should be carefully checked and if hypertension is identified anti-hypertensive agents should be administered in order to limit the fibrillatory power of hypertension. Then, the possibility of changing therapy (the current sothalol does not appear to be affective) should be considered. Finally, you should consider the opportunity to have a catheter ablation be performed in the case of your husband. In fact, the young age, associated with possible absence of underlying heart disease, should drive you to this option. There’s no other therapy than catheter ablation which is curative. A curative treatment here would mean that no other therapy is required for symptom control in the future.

Answer:

A more appropriate answer would require that the electrocardiographic and the electrophysiological findings associated with your atrial tachycardia be displayed for a better diagnosis. In theory, any tachycardia can be successfully ablated even when arising from delicate positions like the one you’re alluding to in your query. Before you proceed for a re-ablation procedure, considering both atrial fibrillation and atrial tachycardia as possible targets, I would recommend you to take a second view by an alternative electrophysiologist. This may help you to take a decision and eventually choose an alternate “end” to treat your heart after the first electrophysiologist substantially failed to fix your problem.

Answer:

Your symptoms appear to be related to a vagal palsy (paralysis) secondary to the radiofrequency divisions brought on to the heart at the time of the electrophysiological procedure. This situation normally occurs because the vagal nerve runs beyond the heart hole that is targeted for catheter ablation at the time of the procedure. It is generally a transit complication and you may will expect that your symptoms will disappear with time. The time expected to be necessary for such a resolution varies from one patient to another and cannot be predicted in the single case. In the meantime, try to eat modestly and very frequently (5 to 6 times per day) and have your heart and your gastrointestinal track be investigated by a specialist on a recurrent basis.

Answer:

Certainly hypertension represents an epidemic in the modern society. Careful investigation about a degree of hypertension should be determined through subsequent multiple blood pressure samplings in different phases of the day and for different consecutive days. Once the clinical profile of blood pressure is identified, your doctor should select one or more antihypertensive drugs which would ultimately reduce blood pressure within normal ranges (120/80). Until this condition is achieved, multiple drug adjustments may be required in this direction. Meanwhile, a full cardiovascular screening should also be performed in order to investigate the underlying heart conditions and elektrocardiographyc patterns, best visible through 24 hours holter monitoring. Sometimes cardiac arrhythmias may even occur while you remain asymptomatic and the 24 hours holter monitoring may help you to unmask potential cardiac arrhythmias. After a full screening, the presence of cardiac arrhythmias should most likely be evident, if present. At that time, a correct diagnosis of the eventual underlying arrhythmia may guide your doctor to select the most appropriate treatment to prevent, treat, or cure this condition.

Answer:

To the best of my knowledge, smoking hookah is not harmful if operated occasionally. As any other drug, nicotine and its derivatives may become harmful for any individual, even in very physiological conditions, and particularly in the presence of atrial fibrillation. In case of abuse, a careful investigation should also be recommended of your cardiovascular conditions to disclose whether atrial fibrillation is an indicator of an underlying cardiac disease which, if present, should be appropriately treated and if possible cured.

Answer:

I need to know how old you are and which co-morbidities are eventually affecting you, if it all. Finally, to properly answer your question, an EKG, either basal or 24hours holter, should be performed in order to monitor at different times of the day and during different days whether your heart beat is permanently or occasionally affected by rhythm disturbances such as atrial fibrillation. If found, atrial fibrillation may be the cause of your symptoms. However your symptoms may not necessary be in relationship with atrial fibrillation. In this case, no identification of underlying atrial fibrillation would turn the physicians attention towards other directions in order to disclose clinical conditions, either affecting the heart or outside of the heart, which may be put in relationship with your symptoms. Once identified, these conditions should be properly cured. If this was possible and feasible, I would expect your general condition to be significantly improved if not at all removed.

Answer:

Lifting weights does not cause any higher risk to develop atrial fibrillation unless use of illecit drug is observed. Theoretically, atrial fibrillation should not discourage you from continuing your sport acrtivity. However, identification of any co-morbidity, underlying heart disease, hypertension and stress, should be carefully investigated and, if present, treated. In other words, a comprehensive cardiovascular invistigation should be performed in your case to put your atrial fibrillation into a clinical perspective that would allow the physician to provide you with appropriate measures and treatments required for prevention of atrial fibrillation relapses. Also, particularly if no heart disease is found, catheter ablation could be considered as a curative treatment in your case. The advantage of this therapy would be that no subsequent AF relapses are expected and your sport activity would not be endangered or limited by the occasional or frequent occurrence of atrial fibrillation relapses. In fact, when atrial fibrillation occurs, physical performance is limited and usually sportsmen are forced to disengage from the current activity until atrial fibrillation expires.