What Your EP never told you: AF and TAA (Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm)

Posted by thisnthat @thisnthat, May 4 5:26pm

I’m going to bet your EP never warned you about a hidden risk you have as an AF patient: an elevated risk for developing a dilatation of your thoracic aorta. And as a result, a higher incidence of it also occurring in the aortic arch. The danger lies in the possibility of the aorta enlarging to the point where it my rupture or dissect, with catastrophic results.
Although I had a successful catheter ablation in 2020, a recent lung CT revealed the growth of my ascending thoracic aorta from 3.5 cm (2020/2021) to 3.8 cm (2022/2023), and now 4.1 cm. It seems there is a common pathway for the development of atrial fibrillation and a tendency to develop an enlargement of the thoracic aorta. Although my AF is in check, apparently the underlying issues continue unabated.
Right now the dilatation is considered ectatic, and not yet aneurysmal, but once it hits 4.5 cm, it is a TAA. There are specific guidelines as to when to intervene, depending on various factors, such as underlying connective tissue disorders, family history, other health issues, and rate of growth. (I believe growth more than .5 cm/year or .3 cm/more in consecutive years are red flags.)
I am not a medical professional. I just found this out on my own, researching the possible links between AF and TAAs.
Worth a talk with your cardiologist.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

thisnthat | @thisnthat | May 8 2:09pm

Thanks, Justin! Good to know! 😉

harveywj | @harveywj | May 9 10:13am

In reply to @thisnthat "Thanks, harveyw. I dd try that yesterday, and just now. When I click on the three..." + (show)

I made a mistake that I just realized. My Kardia app has the same 3 little dots on it and it has a drop down menu on it. One of them says delete and I got confused and mistakingly put up the message to this forum . So there is no way to either change the message or delete it. My mistake!!!

larryg333 | @larryg333 | May 10 12:28pm

Thanks for the post, ThisNThat.

Read online that aortic aneurysms generally occur at a rate of 5-10 per 100,000. And that only 25% of these are TAAs. So it would seem that the latter may have an incidence rate of about 1-2.5 per 100,000... so not real common, but who knows what are individual stats are based on the factors discussed here previously plus our own personal / family DNA and the like.

Had a AAA screening two years ago (free through MediCare) which should everything was normal. Will review this subject with my EP at our next visit in a couple of months.

All the best!

/LarryG

thisnthat | @thisnthat | May 10 1:52pm

In reply to @harveywj "I made a mistake that I just realized. My Kardia app has the same 3 little..." + (show)

We’re even! 😉 Guess we’re all entitled to one goofy mistake! (At least!)

thisnthat | @thisnthat | May 10 2:04pm

In reply to @larryg333 "Thanks for the post, ThisNThat. Read online that aortic aneurysms generally occur at a rate of..." + (show)

Hi LarryG,
Incidentally, I ran down my latest thoracic ascending aorta dimensions with my EP — who seemed singularly unimpressed. So either my concern is misplaced, or he just doesn’t give a fig! I suspect both.
But good luck to you! 🍀

larryg333 | @larryg333 | May 10 3:07pm

In reply to @thisnthat "Hi LarryG, Incidentally, I ran down my latest thoracic ascending aorta dimensions with my EP —..." + (show)

Hey TNT -- FWIW, in my quarter century of dealing with AF, no cardiologist or EP I've consulted in PA and FL have raised a concern about a TAA. Curious to see how my current EP reacts to the topic at hand this July. My guess: no substantial concern at this point in the research.

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