Charlie McAvoy underwent a successful procedure today at the Massachusetts General Hospital to treat an abnormal heart rhythm, the team announced. More to come. . .
Here’s the team release. Seems he felt palpations during a game in November. They diagnosed him with this condition back then.WTF.
Hope he's ok, where the hell did this come from?
Appreciate this explanation. Well said.A radio frequency ablation is done most commonly to remove a group of cells interfering with normal cardiac conduction pathways. It is most commonly used in atrial fibrillation but is also (but less commonly) used in SVT. My guess is that McAvoy had a re-entrant loop in his atrium which caused his heart to beat very rapidly. These re-entrant loops cause the normal conduction pathways to misfire, essentially triggering a very fast (150-200+ BPM) but regular heartbeat. The symptoms can vary. Usually this is a relatively benign condition - even though it doesn't feel benign when it's happening to you! In most people, these SVT episodes are treated in the ER and once resolved, the patient is sent home. Treatments usually include an A-V nodal blocking medicine (adenosine) or electrocardioversion (gentle shock) if the patient is unstable. Sometimes a simple vagal maneuver (bearing down, exhaling forcibly, coughing, cold water on face, etc.) can resolve the problem. I suspect he underwent an ablation to minimize the likelihood of recurrence and repeat episodes. Unfortunately, a RF ablation is often only a temporary fix but it can allay symptoms for years. Prob a good idea in a pro athlete. Atrial fibrillation is a much more serious condition and can be career threatening depending on multiple factors. SVT is much, much less serious so long as there no underlying cause...i.e. structural heart disease, congenital defects, etc.
Are you a cardiologist or an EP?A radio frequency ablation is done most commonly to remove a group of cells interfering with normal cardiac conduction pathways. It is most commonly used in atrial fibrillation but is also (but less commonly) used in SVT. My guess is that McAvoy had a re-entrant loop in his atrium which caused his heart to beat very rapidly. These re-entrant loops cause the normal conduction pathways to misfire, essentially triggering a very fast (150-200+ BPM) but regular heartbeat. The symptoms can vary. Usually this is a relatively benign condition - even though it doesn't feel benign when it's happening to you! In most people, these SVT episodes are treated in the ER and once resolved, the patient is sent home. Treatments usually include an A-V nodal blocking medicine (adenosine) or electrocardioversion (gentle shock) if the patient is unstable. Sometimes a simple vagal maneuver (bearing down, exhaling forcibly, coughing, cold water on face, etc.) can resolve the problem. I suspect he underwent an ablation to minimize the likelihood of recurrence and repeat episodes. Unfortunately, a RF ablation is often only a temporary fix but it can allay symptoms for years. Prob a good idea in a pro athlete. Atrial fibrillation is a much more serious condition and can be career threatening depending on multiple factors. SVT is much, much less serious so long as there no underlying cause...i.e. structural heart disease, congenital defects, etc.