Hi dsisko,

I too had a successful ablation in August 2020. During the first 8 months following the ablation I experienced numerous PACs (upwards of 8,000/day) and occasional bouts of non-sustained atrial tachycardia, but these have since resolved. (At around the 4 month post-ablation mark, my EP and I had agreed it would be prudent to implant a loop recorder, should the AF or AFL return.)

So I am reasonably sure that aside from the blanking period, I have not had any AF. About a year and a half ago, my EP gave his okay for me to discontinue my Eliquis as my loop recorder (ILR) has not shown any significant arrhythmias.

All well and good, but there is only about 6 months of battery life left in my ILR,
and I am anxious to have it removed once the battery goes. My regular cardiologist seems to think I can get by with self-monitoring with a smart watch or Kardiamobile — although my Kardiamobile had misidentified certain arrhythmias in the past. I had been fairly symptomatic when experiencing the afib and flutter, so I think that would be the case again. I believe the latest research indicates the risk of stroke is quite minimal unless the AF lasts 24 hours or more, but you should check with your cardiologist.

In any case, knock on wood, doing alright, without the Eliquis, despite being a “2.5” (my cardiologist’s take) on the CHA2DS2-VASc score. I may rethink this choice once I hit 75! 😗