I am looking for advice or personal experiences related to a procedure, I have been dx with SVT,my last rate was 230, this has been going on for the past few years and now is a regular occurance. I have been to a cardiologist about this and she wants me to see an cardiac electricican to have a procedure done called ablation,instead of going on meds-I like that idea- has anyone on the boards have any experience with this good or bad.I am a med-surg nurse and cardiac experience is slim.Thanks for your replys. spitfire

Hi, Spit! Have you considered your diet as a possible trigger to the prob. Alcohol, aspartame, caffeine are commonly implicated.

If you decide to go forward with the ablation it's very important that the doc (EP) selected have a lot of experience with this procedure. Couple of different ways the ablation is done (RF / electrical / cryo) and sites ablated (pulmonary veins / heart tissue). As you may know, an ablation destroys tissue in an effort to stop the errant electrical charges triggering the arrythmia.

Look into success rates of the professional before signing on. Think the leading facility may be the Cleveland Clinic. Sometimes a repeat procedure has to be done.

Check also the other e-boards that deal with dysrythmias -- e.g., a-fib board. Some of those folks are very knowledgeable.

All the best!

I work in an Electro Physiology lab where we do ablations.

I would say definately go to a center where they have a agressive EP lab.

What would you like to know? How the procedure is done?

You will have a EP study first and they will "map" you heart to find where the excitability is coming from. This is done via catheters that are inserted into your femoral veins. Then advanced into your heart. Catheters are placed in your Right atrium, right ventricle, HIS and sometimes into your coronary sinus. We pace your heart via these catheters, find the spot and then place a radio frequency catheter into the heart, touch that spot and burn it.

Risks include bleeding, perferation, infection and needing a pacemaker.

You need to be on bedrest for 3 hours after the procedure and will go home the next day.

Oh...you will have this done under conscious sedation.