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Should I get a pacemaker diagnosed w/afib, tachy-brady and now SSS?
Pacemaker & ICDs | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (18)Comment receiving replies
@1wife
Putting in a pacemaker does not necessarily mean an AV Node Ablation. I had a pacemaker implanted for the reasons your EP indicated. An AAD lowered my heart rate to the point that I had a fainting episode. My pacemaker keeps the ventricles from beating too slowly. Knowing that your heart rate will not drop too low, another ablation or AAD can be tried. The pacemaker itself does not affect AFIB.
Years later, if nothing is successful stopping AFIB ( other AADs or ablations), certainly an AV Node Ablation can be done. I did have one 4 years after the pacemaker.
However - while a pacemaker is needed with an AV Node Ablation to keep the ventricles beating normally - an AV Node Ablation is NOT needed with a pacemaker. By the way, I am very happy that I have my pacemaker. Good luck!
Replies to "@1wife Putting in a pacemaker does not necessarily mean an AV Node Ablation. I had a..."
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@bettycll This is true, and thanks for the information you provided. If a person's ventricles do not try to keep up during AF, then there isn't the problem many AF patients have that is called 'rapid ventricular response'. A patient with RVR, whose ventricular rate cannot be controlled normally, will almost certainly need to have their AV node destroyed when a pacemaker is installed. Additionally, if/when other more conventional treatments have failed to control AF, AV node is often the last resort.