YANMD Should I have a heart ablation for SVTs?

February 13, 2025 9:50 AM

I've had SVT (SupraVentricular Tachycardia) episodes for many years, well managed with Valsalva Maneuver, hydration, heart rate app. But I had an unusually severe and painful episode last spring, so just completed a fresh cardiac workup. For anyone recently diagnosed, this is the least exciting heart condition you can have.

Stress test - fine, Wearable heart monitor - SVTs, PVCs, and blips of some sort that aren't v. exciting, Echocardiogram - nothing exciting, but so cool to watch.

I'm nearly 70. I started taking a low dose beta blocker at night for SVTs and sleep.

Electrophysiology-Cardio doc says Get the Ablation, but also, you're fine, your heart's doing fine, take a low-dose statin and don't worry. I know it's generally a very safe porcedure.

Give me your advice.

posted by theora55 to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

My spouse (rarely seen MeFite Comrade Doll) had SVT. It was corrected by ablation and she felt it was almost criminally easy, though she was early 30s.

In her case, she was having seizures/episodes of 220 bpm heart rate that were terrifying and this ended them. You don't seem to be going through that and your age maybe changes the risk calculus slightly.

But I can say it was absolutely not a big deal in our case. They did it outpatient and she was home shortly after lunch with pretty low-key fatigue as the only side effect, and that being primarily from the anesthesia.

She encouraged our neighbor (roughly your age) to get it when she found out he had the same condition. He did, his was also outpatient, and he also felt it was absolutely not a big deal.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:02 AM on February 13 [4 favorites]

My uncle had an ablation recently for the same condition and, as I understand, it fixed the problem. I can't remember if it was done as an inpatient or outpatient procedure.
posted by number9dream at 10:37 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

I have SVTs. Or at least I used to, 1-3x / year and also very responsive to Valsalva, until I was treated for autoimmune disease, and they've mysteriously gone away now? Anyway, I get it.

I think in your case I definitely would, because it's preventing you from normal sleep. From everything I've read, it's a very straightforward, routine procedure, despite its invasiveness and involving your heart.
posted by Dashy at 10:42 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: SVTs don't mess w/my sleep; it's just a pleasant side effect of the beta blocker. Really, it comes down to the tiny risk of having wires threaded to my heart and using radio waves to burn a patch. I do know someone who had to have it done twice before it worked, but that's atypical.
posted by theora55 at 11:42 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

Would getting the procedure mean you could stop taking the beta blocker?

When a localized treatment of a localized issue is an option I'll always choose it over a treatment that has wide-ranging effects over the entire body.
posted by jesourie at 12:35 PM on February 13 [3 favorites]

I had psvt for years and managed it successfully with beta blockers for a while. But i had a couple bad ones in as many months (ER, cardioversion) and bit the bullet and had an ablation. So annoyed at myself for waiting so long! It was easy and painless, and the incredible sense of relief afterward was priceless.

You should know that if you exercise regularly, you'll feel extremely deconditioned after quitting the beta blockers. It's taken me more than 2 years to get back to the running pace I had on those things.
posted by dbx at 6:30 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

I've never heard of anyone regretting getting an ablation.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 6:57 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]