This is a real life experience of a patient who underwent a electrophysiology study and ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation .The blog describes how the procedure became a nightmare .Written in a most readable fashion . Interventional cardiologists need not get hurt by this narration instead they should do a reality check on the dangers of the some of the complex procedures !
Click over the image to read the real time experience of Pulmonary vein ablation
Image courtesy Mayo clinic
The message from the above story :
- Atrial fibrillation is one of the relatively benign cardiac arrhythmia , that can be treated with simple and effective drugs . Now we have strong evidence to say rate control is equally , if not more effective than the rhythm control modalities .
- The RF ablation , which aims at rhythm control is a too complex a procedure with lots of expertise technology .
- This should be reserved as a last resort in an occasional patient who had exhausted all other options .
- Patients should realise , the consent forms they sign before any new and innovative procedure is always incomplete and he may be the first person to experience a new complication hitherto unreported .
- A cath lab is run by a team , you can’t expect the chief doctor to be on your side always. Many of the procedures are done by either experienced or inexperienced fellows . That’s only the way medicine can be practiced !
- So beware all patients , many times, modern medicine is nothing but experiments on live humans !
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 
On the other hand, for a young person, atrial fibrillation is a life changing experience! Rate control meds are not without side effects and some days are better than others. Coumadin has a narrow therapeutic range and it’s dangerous to play with your blood chemistry! Many strokes are caused by atrial fibrillation.
My sister’s boyfriend just went through this and had a terrible time with more conservative therapies. He ultimately had the ablation which was done at Baylor. He’s doing wonderfully after the procedure and he’s thrilled that he doesn’t have to take drugs for the rest of his life that made him feel tired and sick.
It’s true that the procedure was not without risk, and there aren’t many EPs qualified to do it, but for this otherwise healthy young man it appears to have been the right decision. I would have done the same thing had I been in his situation.
Tom