skipped beats and tachycardia after ablation

[annie2417]

I had a catheter ablation for avnrt 5 weeks ago.  I am still experiencing occasional skipped beats and also some rapid beats (2-8 in a row) that feel like the old svt. These rapid beats occur about every other day.  Today I also felt several irregular beats before starting into several seconds of what felt like svt. Is this normal?    Could the irregular beats have been several skipped beats in a row?   They only lasted a few seconds, but I had an episode of a-fib a few weeks before the ablation, which the ep felt was probably caused by the svt, so I am worried that the short irregular beats could have been a-fib again. I know that skipped beats and rapid heart beats can occur for a few weeks after the ablation, but I'm getting concerned that this is going on too long.

[amos94]

i had an ablation done on june 16th of this year and felt fine, that was till today i was setting at work an out of the blue i got my irregular heartbeat back although it does not feel like the pounding in my chest before the ablation i can feel it i was hoping after the ablation everything would be fixed now i guess i have to wait to see what my ep Dr. tells me

[annie1724]

Well I had my appt today with the ep and the 48 hour monitor showed PACs and also a brief run of atrial tachycardia.  He said that the reading showed that the svt that I had ablated was definitely gone, but now I have a different arrhythmia in its place.  And though the monitor only captured one tachycardia run, he was fairly certain that the tachycardia episodes that I have been having are also atrial tachycardia.

So now I have a new arrhythmia...blah.  I have very confused about this whole thing.  He said that the atrial tachycardia could be a new arrhythmia, or a precurser to atrial fibrillation, or still just be from my heart being irritated and healing from the ablation.  Of course that is what I am hoping and praying it is.  I am scared to death of atrial fibrillaion.  And I really don't understand how I could have suddenly developed a new arrhythmia, unless the ablation caused it, or if it was always there and just masked by the avnrt svt which was worse.

In any case, he prescribed 35 mg atenolol to keep things under control.  Has anyone taken this and does it have many side effects?  He stressed that an atrial tachycardia is not a serious or dangerous arrhythmia, but I am so worried about it progressing to a-fib.  I am clinging to the hope that it will improve as my heart continues to heal from the ablation, but it's been 8 weeks now, so I'm not so sure.

I'm sooooo down about this.  Any encouraging words would be greatly appreciated!!!

[debbier]

Hi Annie,  I am taking Atenolol since my ablation.  It has worked really well.  I had issues up until 5 months,  My EP told me it could take up to 6 months to get the full effect.   I just reached 6 months and things have been good and he has suggested I wean off Atenolol but its my security blanket that I dont want to give up just yet.  The Atenolol may make you tired but your body will get use to it.  Good Luck!

[annie1724]

Hi Debbie,
So you think the atrial tachycardia is from the ablation?  I hope so! It does seem strange that I had the first episode exactly one week after the ablation.  EIther it must have caused it, or it was there all along and was masked by the anvrt.  Just seems too coincidental to develop something brand new just now.  At least that's what I keep telling myself, then I get all worked up again and worried.  I just hope it goes away as my heart settles down.

Has anyone else out there developed atrial tachycardia after an ablation for avnrt??

[LexiJohnson15]

Hey, this has been comforting to read cause I had my ablation going on three weeks ago. It seemed like the first week and a half my heart was fine but now I'm getting skipped beats, extra beats or like a set if 6 or 7 fast beats. I had the ablation done for avnrt.

[tom_h]

It's perfectly normal to experience some skips and short runs for up to a year afterwards.  It will take some time before you con tell if your ablation was successful.