Juan P. Negret
Well-known member
Dear friends,
Last June 25 I underwent surgery to repair my mitral valve. Because of calcifications, the repair job was long and caused inflammation to surrounding tissue in the atria. I spent the next three days with an external pacemaker due to a bradycardia and arrhythmias. I then spent two and a half weeks at home without incidents. Apparently, as a side effect of the surgery, last July 20 in the evening I felt a bit of lightheadedness and experienced (for a few minutes) a bradycardia (pulse down to 50/min), followed by a tachycardia (pulse up to 150/min). Two hours later, in the hospital, they use metoprolol to lower the pulse to 115/min, and another drug to stop (after two hours) a flutter in the left atria. They diagnosed a conduction block. I spent two and a half more days at the hospital and received the anticoagulant heparin and the anti-arrythmic amiodarone. Fortunately they did not find complications. At home I am using the anti-arrythmic propafenone (150 mg every 12 hours).
What should I do to try to avoid these incidents? I was working at the computer after having finished a meal. I noticed the bradycardia, and perhaps my nervousness triggered the tachycardia.
How effective are procedures to try at home to stop (such as holding air and pushing hard) these tachycardias?
Thank you,
Juan
Last June 25 I underwent surgery to repair my mitral valve. Because of calcifications, the repair job was long and caused inflammation to surrounding tissue in the atria. I spent the next three days with an external pacemaker due to a bradycardia and arrhythmias. I then spent two and a half weeks at home without incidents. Apparently, as a side effect of the surgery, last July 20 in the evening I felt a bit of lightheadedness and experienced (for a few minutes) a bradycardia (pulse down to 50/min), followed by a tachycardia (pulse up to 150/min). Two hours later, in the hospital, they use metoprolol to lower the pulse to 115/min, and another drug to stop (after two hours) a flutter in the left atria. They diagnosed a conduction block. I spent two and a half more days at the hospital and received the anticoagulant heparin and the anti-arrythmic amiodarone. Fortunately they did not find complications. At home I am using the anti-arrythmic propafenone (150 mg every 12 hours).
What should I do to try to avoid these incidents? I was working at the computer after having finished a meal. I noticed the bradycardia, and perhaps my nervousness triggered the tachycardia.
How effective are procedures to try at home to stop (such as holding air and pushing hard) these tachycardias?
Thank you,
Juan
