# Pulmonary Vein Ablation for Atrial Fib



## Lon (Dec 11, 2014)

After 20 plus years of episodic Atrial Fib with no underlying heart disease I had a PVA in 2010 performed by a top rate Electrophysiologist. Voila!! No more afib but I still take a blood thinner just in case.


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## Pappy (Dec 11, 2014)

Lon, I was diagnosed with A-Fib last year and am on Xarelto daily. What is this procedure you are referring too. Pappy


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## QuickSilver (Dec 11, 2014)

I've never heard of a Pulmonary Vein Ablation.   As a cardiac nurse, I've taken care of many Ablations for A-fib.. but they were always in the heart muscle.. never in the pulmonary vein.    What they do is an electrophysiology study to determine which part of the cardiac muscle is irritable and sending impulses for the atria to contract thus causing atrial fibrillation.. THEN that area is cauterized or ablated to stop the firing of those impulses putting the heart back into sinus rhythm..  So if you could find some info on that procedure, I would like to know about it.


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## Lon (Dec 11, 2014)

QuickSilver said:


> I've never heard of a Pulmonary Vein Ablation.   As a cardiac nurse, I've taken care of many Ablations for A-fib.. but they were always in the heart muscle.. never in the pulmonary vein.    What they do is an electrophysiology study to determine which part of the cardiac muscle is irritable and sending impulses for the atria to contract thus causing atrial fibrillation.. THEN that area is cauterized or ablated to stop the firing of those impulses putting the heart back into sinus rhythm..  So if you could find some info on that procedure, I would like to know about it.


  My procedure was performed by Andrea Natale M.D.at Cal Pacific, San Francisco. He pioneered many of the different ablation procedures.   http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/disorders/pulmonaryvein_ablation


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## Lon (Dec 11, 2014)

Pappy said:


> Lon, I was diagnosed with A-Fib last year and am on Xarelto daily. What is this procedure you are referring too. Pappy



I too take Xarelto once  a day and it sure beats having to take Coumadin. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/disorders/pulmonaryvein_ablation


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## Pappy (Dec 11, 2014)

It sure does and no finger jabs either.


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## Josiah (Dec 11, 2014)

Dr. Natale is unquestionably the very best.

I too have suffered from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) for 20 years. Six years ago the frequency of the episodes increased and I began researching options. I found the online forum Afibbers.com to be exceedingly helpful. Probably 2/3 of the forum followers opt for one or multiple ablations. While some have astonishingly good results (like you have had Lon)  it's far from a sure thing. So far I have been able to lighten my AF load to about 1 episode per year by following a supplement regimen. I too do anticoagulant therapy (Eliquis). Here's to a 2015 of non stop NSR.


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