Electrophysiology Study

[Yokena]

Hi all,

I just got back from my cardiologist who is recommending an electrophysiology study because I'm having some fainting episodes. Anybody been through this? I'd like to know what to expect. Thanks!

Joyce in Mississippi

 

[medtronic of borg]

not bad at all

not bad at all

Don't worry!! It is nothing. It will prob. consist of a ecg and a stress test. The difference is an EP will be able to figure out from such tests things like nodal to node to contract times and a bunch of other stuff. The list goes on and on. For you this is one you should not worry about.

 

[Yokena]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks, Med'

I'm trying not to worry, but I've already had the ECG and echo. I'm going to the EP doctor to set up the cath/EP test. I've had a couple of caths before, but not the EP study with the electrical shocks to your heart to set off the bad rythym. That's the part that scares me. Well, that and the possibility of a pacemaker. I'm hanging in there, tho. Ultimately, I know it will be okay. Only problems that don't have a solution are worth really getting upset about.

Has anybody else been told not to drive because of heart problems? This is a big deal to me because my husband has epilepsy and can't drive either. Guess I just feel like having a little whine with my dinner tonight!

Joyce in Mississippi

 

[hensylee]

Fainting episodes - you probly need to go. In About.com there's an EP (Dr Richard Fogoros) and he has a forum called heart disease/cardiology (or cardiology/heart disease). Run over there and ask him some questions and he will answer you personally - or just read some of the posts. He has a very good informative site (his section).

 

[Nancy]

Hi Joyce-

My husband had bradycardia, and also had several dangerous faints. He injured himself during two of them, dislocated his jaw during one and possibly caused some of the newly operated on mitral valve sutures to come lose. That time he fell like a tree in the forest, straight over, face down and landed with great concussion. He just missed the corner of the dining room table. Another time he fell in the yard, again, just keeled over and landed on the intermittent sprinkler head causing a huge hematoma right near his spleen, and another time he twirled around, crashed into the TV and the TV fell over, and almost took out the plate glass picture window. He also had several near faints where he just sort of sunk down. He now has a pacemaker and it's absolutely no problem for him. He doesn't use it much, but it's there when he needs it.

During that period of time he couldn't drive because he could cause harm to himself or someone else. He was OK with that because he understood the prospect of causing possible harm. There was no warning when he had these faints. I witnessed all of them. He did not have a pulse and I thought he had passed away. I called the EMTs during the three total faints, and he spent some time in the hospital.

He has been OK ever since and now drives. He hasn't had any more of those spells.

I know it is extremely inconvenient not to be able to drive temporarily, especially since your husband cannot either.

Please let us know how things go.

I'll be thinking about you.

Take care,

 

[Gnusgal]

I had an EP study done a little over a year ago (4 weeks after valve surgery) and I don't remember a thing. They knocked me out (or at least gave me enough versed to forget the whole thing). I'm sure they can do the same for you.

Also, I've had a pacemaker for the last 20 years. It's not so bad. I don't even remember what it is like to NOT have one. Anyway, if your fainting spells can be taken care of with a pacemaker, then that would be good news, I should think. I can tell you, pacemaker technology has come a LONG way. I remember the days when they had a HUGE device they placed against your skin where the pacemaker was to interigate it, and it would spit out a curl of paper just to let you know what the settings were and how much juice was still left in the battery. Now, though, it's like they put a little mouse (computer kind, not rodent) on you and it's hooked up to a computer where they find out SO much more and can even tell you how many times you have had an arrythmia since they last checked, and how long they were and everything! It's pretty cool.

Anyway, good luck and I hope that the EP study finds some answers for you!

 

[M&M]

Hi Joyce, I think if you do a search in google - on Electrophysciology Study - it should give you some written details. I've had 4 EP studies. Of which none of them hurt me at all. I started to wake up on one of them - the room was very cold and my teeth started to chatter - I remember them telling me to please stop chattering my teeth If I got some heat in this room I would.. They just gave me more sedation.. That works too..

I don't know if you've ever had a catherization - but I would compare the two tests to be very similar as far as 'comfort' goes. They usually use a radio frequency tip to ablate the tissue that is causing the short circuit. It's a tiny little spot they 'zap' it - I think anyways I had 18 spots zapped on my first vt ablation and 11 spots ablated on my second vt ablation. VT ablation for a heart attack scar tissue is not as successful as ideopathic vt's. Those are having better success rates.. I have a fairly large scar - so its unlikely at this time I could get 100% ablation.

I had my av nodal re-entry tachycardia ablated - 100% - many years ago - I never get those tachycardias anymore. I know some people who have had ablations on these tachys and they still have them. They are not life threatening from what I understand - but they are a nuisance.. But I'm not a doctor. I would go into the HeartCenter Web site and they have very good descriptions of various tachycardias. I think WebMD is good to. But first go to google and do a search. There's all kinds of info out there.

I think when they get inside of you they try to 'touch' off electrical activity and see what your system responds to when they do. Depending on whether your system reacts to certain electrical activity depends on the success of the EP study. In other words if they can't touch off any activity - then they can't find anything and they can't treat what they don't know you have... I would ask what they're EP study success rates are in getting the arrhythmias 'touched off' and how many procedures they have done. You know check them out.

Anything invasive is risky - as we all know. But in competent hands they can do wonderful things to make our lives much better.

I went to Dartmouth Hitchock Medical Center in New Hampshire and had Dr. Mark Greenberg as my EP. He's very good. He was honest and upfront and told me the chances for success and I still proceeded to go forward. Success is a matter of 'luck' in many cases. You can't ablate what you can't 'touch' off. :-(

There can be many types of tachycardias that cause fainting I would think - and the best way to find out is an EP test as far as I know. It's much better to treat you medically for what you 'have' and not for what you might have. If they can ablate you 100% then you won't need to take meds. was my understanding. But it is an invasive procedure - but I think the percentage of bad outcome is very, very low.

I hope this was helpful and not more confusing. I'm not a doctor - and this is all just what it was like for me. I wish you luck and please keep in touch. By the way - where are you having this done - if I might ask?

Runner

 

[Yokena]

Helpful Info

Helpful Info

Thanks Henslee, Runner, Nancy and Gnusgal,

I've checked out the web sites, left a message for the online doctor, and just got off the phone with the doctor's nurse up at Mayo. I think I'm beginning to get the picture that the procedure may not be such a big deal, but the situation kind of is. I am not driving, getting a ride with a co-worker, but that can't go on forever. I think I'll meet with the EP doctor on Monday, then decide if I should go up to Mayo for this instead. The nurse at Mayo felt that since my valve surgery was done there, and I have additional congenital defects, I should have the procedure done there. Lots to considre. Thanks for the support!

Joyce

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

EP Study

EP Study

Hi Joyce:

I saw your post yesterday but I have never had the EP study done, so didn't respond. And I knew that Nancy as well as others would have some information for you shortly. I'm glad you were finally able to talk to the nurse at the Mayo and get an idea of what you will be going through. I have heard that EA patients often have "electrical" issues. So good luck and let us know what they find.

 

[tiggerangelgirl]

hello

hello

hello joyce i have found somebody that i can tell you about those procedures and the fainting and pacemakes
first question for you are you having any fast heart rates/flutterings,butterfly feeling in your heart,all of these are do to different rythem problems,also if the doctors has been putting you on any medication,likebeta blockers or verapamil,this opens your blood vessels up and keeps your vessles from consticting,thaus preventing syncope episodes whisch of course is faiting,the best to do now is to try to wait and see if they are going to try some different medications,now i'm going to be honest with you,but i'm not going to scare you,make sure that having an e.p. study is a last resort ecspesially if thier going to try to ablate the places in your heart which causes the episodes.
i have had 4 ablations which is part of ep study ,now where i had my first 3 it was terrible ,do your research and just don't go to any ep dr know his stats,how successfull hes been,my last thre were done at E.C.U. pitt county and they did a bad job,i now have permant damage,iam only saying make sure its a real good EP group because thay are a different group of cardios and there are some great doctors and the one who ablated me the last time was wonderfull,i was completly ablated all nodes ,went into heart block{which was the DRs goal} and completly dependant on my pacemaker and its my life
any questions just ask,search around the forum and get to know it and then write and you will get many replies and great friend

 

[Yokena]

Good Points

Good Points

Hi Nicole,

Thanks for the good suggestions. You're absolutley right that I need to check on the EP doctor's experience and success rate. He may be very good, but the Mayo folks have worked on me before, so I'll probably end up there. I hadn't even thought about medications, and the cardiologist didn't mention it. I will definately ask, tho. When I pass out, or just get faint, my heart beats really hard then my vision just goes black and I'm out, or nearly out, for a few seconds. It doesn't feel like it's going fast.

I really appreaciate your suggestions!

Joyce in Mississippi

 

[tiggerangelgirl]

hello joyce
iam glad that you read the post,i had a many of months dealing with passing out ,usually from a standing position,or getting up too quickly,i even busted up my head so much that i looked like someone had been beating on me,my last syncope episode ifell and hit my head and got 23 stitches above my eye and then the heart dr said enough and sent me to an EP study,i was first diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia,which means that your blood pressures change quickly when in a standing or sitting position,but also my heartrate would jump up to the 200 beats a minute{later found out a diffrent diagnosis}when i was on the tilt table did you have this test done,it's called A Tilt Table test easy as that,you should defiently have that done if you havent already,this shows what your pressures and heart rate do while your strapped to a table moving in diffrent directions,up,down,45% angel,flat,and then your head is put down lower than your feet,and the whole time your being recorded,i hope they can find whats going on i guess you have an advantage there.let me ask you a question How is there Heart trasplant program and can you get material on it,didnt know if you lived close if not don't worry about it i can search the net. i hope things will go good for you always remember patience because the doctors never understand how scared we are ,it might be a little problem to them but its our body its happing to and we want it fixed so if your not satisfied with the answers keep looking

 

[Yokena]

Nicole

Nicole

Hi Nicole,

I haven't had the tilt table done. I think they think this fainting is definately from my heart and not positional. I see the electrophysiologist Monday, so I'll know more then. I'm leaning towards going up to Mayo right now, tho. I'm not familiar with the transplant program at Mayo. I live in MS and we have one here, but I'm not familiar with it here either. Frankly, I hope I don't ever have to be, but I know I would be forever grateful if I needed one and had the oportunity for it.

I really appreciate your support.

Joyce

 

[Gisele]

Joyce,

Joyce,

I would also ask the physician what side effects could result from the ablation. I went in with SVT and left with Winchebach (think I spelt it wrong). My PR interval lenghtens with each beat until it drops a beat. When I was in the ER for my subdural I was on a heart monitor and my nurse said the student nurses were all watching the monitor at the desk as I would go from first degree block, and second degree block, with PAC's, PVC's and Winchebach. All I feel is an irregular pulse which can be annoying at times.

Just ask your doc in the area that he would be working in what is the worse that can happen? In my case Winchebach is a lot better than my SVT as my episodes would last for four to five hours until I would go to ER to have my heart returned to its normal rhythm.

Would you believe that on my first episode of SVT when I was seventeen years old, my mother called the family doctor to ask him what she should do.............his reply was: "give her a shot of liquor"...........lol Boy, we've come a long way haven't we?

 

[Yokena]

Gisele

Gisele

Gosh, I sure wish someone would prescribe a shot of booze for me! I think I'd have no trouble being compliant with that right now.

I say the EP Doc today and really liked him a lot. He knows the one at Mayo that has worked on Ebstein's patients and knows that he is leaving Mayo after this week. That means I'll have the procedure done locally (well, sort of. It's 65 miles away.). He is going to talk to my cardiologist at Mayo before he schedules the study, tho.

I feel much better after meeting with Dr. Payne today. He was able to explain things really well.

Thanks everyone for all the support

Joyce

 

[nadi]

I am glad the dr helped answer your questions and is willing to work with your cardio.