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 