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Just something to consider if you are over 70:
If they use the lighter, fast-acting anesthesia for cardioversion, like what they use for colonoscopies, it might not be a problem.
But if it's for ablation, they must use general anesthesia (GA), and that tends to cause cognitive problems for older people. As one doctor told me: "After general anesthesia, the heart kinda resets. But with old people, it never resets to the same level."
I had GA twice in less than a month a year ago. The cognitive decline afterward was quite noticeable and very disturbing -- particularly given that my defining characteristic is insatiable curiosity, and I'm a voracious reader. Or was. I haven't been able to focus enough to read a whole book since, I constantly misplaced things and had no clue where they were, and I've just felt DULL since.
Recently, a year later, my memory and thinking ability are much better, and I'm reading again, but only a little at a time. Audiobooks are helpful, and maybe the Brain HQ and Luminosity "brain games" I've been doing -- or trying to do -- have helped, too.
Replies to "@sjm46 Just something to consider if you are over 70: If they use the lighter, fast-acting..."
@earther I'm 64, thank you for the valuable information
@earther I had an ablation four weeks ago; I didn't notice any cognitive problems afterward and I had general anesthesia. I actually looked up every med that the anesthesiologist administered just because I was interested in the process. It is remarkable how they coordinate the meds and keep the body relaxed, prevent the N/V afterward with medication that takes two or three hours to work, and also manage the anticoagulant drugs to prevent clots, then reverse the process so they can prevent bleeding from the sites afterward. It is also interesting that studies show how long it actually takes for the meds to "clear" the cells after they are administered. Even propofol, that is so quick acting to render the patient sedated, and is rapidly cleared from the body so you "wake up," has effects because traces can detectable in bloood for up to 15 hours after injection and in urine as long as 60 hours. Age can affect the time for clearing, or impaired liver or kidney functioning. If you had general anesthesia twice in less than a month, I can understand how this could affect a lot of things with your body. For me, I just couldn't get warm for a week afterward; I sat in front of the space heater and layer up to feel comfortable. Who knows why? Everyone is so different. Keep working on those puzzles! I do the Sudoku every morning--sometimes I win and sometimes I don't! 🙂
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@earther
Sorry that happened to you. I actually had that happen when I was under general anesthesia for 4 hours at 54. Destroyed my attention span (reading and listening) forever and other issues so GA now scares me. I’m 66 now. I was told propofol would be used for my PFA. I’m seeking a second opinion so I’ll see what the next EP says. I agree it’s very upsetting to come out different than you went in. Did you have propofol or something else? I’m not sure what they used when I was 54 but not propofol. I should request the anesthesia report. I’ve had propofol for colonoscopies because conscious sedation doesn’t work on me, but the PFA will take longer so I’m not thrilled about any anesthesia, but what choice do we have?