Mitral Valve Repeater

[TNRedhead]

Caught Bacterial Endocarditis after a routine dental cleaning in the mid 80's and subsequently had open heart surgery in 1987 to repair the mitral valve after damage from bacterial endocarditis. The repair lasted 28 years, and then broke down, resulting in a second mitral valve repair surgery in 2015. Eight years later and I have just started experiencing shortness of breath and spikes in heart rate, and doctors have detected a "flutter", and told me that it is an "electrical" problem. They will be performing a cardioversion this week to get me back into rhythm. Has anyone here undergone cardioversion?

 

[pellicle]

Good morning

welcome to the forum.

They will be performing a cardioversion this week to get me back into rhythm. Has anyone here undergone cardioversion?

I haven't but myself I would try beta blockers before trying that.

I have read too many reports where "it worked" but then months later it returned and they had to go again.

Something that is often missing from statistics is the follow up period. A good way to make positive claims of success is to only have a short window of observation.

There are quite a number of various beta blockers, both different chemistries and different half lives. Personally when my arrhythmia kicked in a bit over a year ago I tried metoprolol tartrate, which has half the half life of the succinate form. I picked this because I wouldn't be under its effect all the time. It has worked well for me.

I hope someone else follows up with personal direct experience, but have you tried searching the site for just the single word "cardioversion" ??

 

[Woodcutter]

I've had several cardioversions.

It is a pretty routine prodedure for afib and aflutter. Very simply, you are sedated/anesthetized and then a high voltage shock is delivered through two pads (one on the front of your chest and the other on the back). It is very quick . . . the entire procedure is minutes. It truly is similar to the defibrilation zapping you see on TV. Most folks on this site have had a version of this when their heart was restarted after stopping it for valve surgery.

Purpose is to reset the heart electrical system. Downside is that it is not actually fixing any cause of the arrhythmia. Hence it is quite common for an arrhythmia to return. However, it can provide symptom relief and it can be coupled with medication to reset the heart then let the medications control the rhythm.

(fyi - cardioversion did not work for me. It my case they were attempted for atrial fibrilation. Years later when I had atrial flutter, we did not even try cardioversion. All of the cardioversions for me were prior to my valve surgeries.)

 

[Hyp2r]

As Woodcutter has said, cardioversion is a simple process, I’ve had it done a couple of times, You would be sedated for a very short time while the procedure is carried out. It’s over in no time.
Very low possibility of anything going wrong and it is painless after awakening.

 

[Eva]

I’ve had cardioversion twice. It’s a a simple procedure and you’ll feel a relief right away!

 

[Gail in Ca]

I went into a-fib 3 years after my 3rd OHS. I was given cardio version and then took a rx to keep me in rhythm (can’t remember which drug). But only 2 years later I was back in a-fib, tried another cardio version that only worked until I got home. Then back into a-fib. So, I’m in chronic a-fib now. I was already on warfarin.

 

[Consuela]

Caught Bacterial Endocarditis after a routine dental cleaning in the mid 80's and subsequently had open heart surgery in 1987 to repair the mitral valve after damage from bacterial endocarditis. The repair lasted 28 years, and then broke down, resulting in a second mitral valve repair surgery in 2015. Eight years later and I have just started experiencing shortness of breath and spikes in heart rate, and doctors have detected a "flutter", and told me that it is an "electrical" problem. They will be performing a cardioversion this week to get me back into rhythm. Has anyone here undergone cardioversion?

I have had five cardio versions. I had the first one and it went fine. I WAS GOOD FOR 2 years. The procedure went fine. Good luck to you.

 

[Consuela]

I went into a-fib 3 years after my 3rd OHS. I was given cardio version and then took a rx to keep me in rhythm (can’t remember which drug). But only 2 years later I was back in a-fib, tried another cardio version that only worked until I got home. Then back into a-fib. So, I’m in chronic a-fib now. I was already on warfarin.

I have AFib too. Developed it do to my age and had 5 cardio versions. I have been on warfarin since my mechanical mitral valve replacement 18 years ago. I am in the hospital and will be getting the 6 cardio version tomorrow morning. If it comes back again they will do a procedure called an ablation.Good luck to you.