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Drugs vs Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (58)Comment receiving replies
awoke in afib 150-170, to ER, started on diltiazem drip x 4 hours with no results then amiodarone and heparin x 12 hours with not much improvement. Cardio version with good success. Home on eliquis 5mg bid and amiodarone 200mg bid. No cardiac history, 71 years old, no reoccurrence since return home 48 hours ago. Active 5 days/week, play pickleball, hike, daily walks. Weight within normal, 5'5, 120 lbs. Planned trip to Paris in 3 weeks, not sure if I will enjoy with increased anxiety. Your thoughts? Follow up with cardio team prior to trip.
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@smwhit When I met my EP for the first time in anticipation of an ablation for AF, I told him that I had hoped to fly to Nova Scotia in a couple of weeks, and asked him those questions. He answered with a question, 'What would you do if you entered AF mid-flight?' I replied that I know to stay calm, and to try to relax and to breath deeply. Distracting myself with an in-flight video would probably work.' He shrugged and said that it was probably okay to fly. IOW, he was neutral, and we both knew that at 30K' ASL there wasn't much anyone can do. It's not a life-threatening disorder in almost every case, just an annoyance and it does raise anxiety. If anxiety is the worst of it, then you'll probably remain in AF until you settle at your destination.
It appears that you are paroxysmal, so it is self-limiting and very early in your formal diagnosis. That's a good place to be. If/when your disorder progresses, it will pass into persistent, long-standing persistent, and finally permanent AF, probably several years from now. It's not a lethal disorder. It won't kill you. You WILL want a cardioversion or a metoprolol bolus at the ER if it runs above 100 BPM for more than 24 hours, though. Your flight won't be anywhere near that long.
In case it's news to you at this stage, the gold standard of care for AF, certainly in its earliest stages, is catheter ablation. I would advise you to consult an EP before long if it begins to come on more persistently and last longer, say a day or two.