If at first you don't succeed, try try again

[lapfog_1]

1. 32 years ago

WPW since birth... plus a bad mitral valve... only in those days they stuck me in an oxygen tent and hoped ( blue baby ).

waited years for corrective surgery to catch up. Was one of the first microwave ablation patients in the nation.

Threaded 7 catheters into my heart while I was sort of in and out on the table with a large imaging system over my chest... the doctors were over in a corner of the room with a video game screen and joysticks. Used at least 4 trigger nodes to put my heart into and out of arrhythmia while they guided the microwave tip over the each trouble spot and created a little scar tissue.

I stayed overnight because of the size of the incisions they had to make in my neck and inside of my thigh to thread the catheters into my heart ( I'm sure that's improved by now ). Otherwise it is almost an outpatient procedure.

No WPW events since then ( knock on wood )... 32 years. Doc told me I was good for 20 years "most likely" ( double knock on wood ).

Good luck with yours!