Our sweet baby boy is still in the hospital! They have decided they need to intervene with all this arrhythmia stuff. If he had a healthy heart this wouldn't be a big deal because he could tolerate it, but a single ventricle heart can't tolerate these things at all. They are very dangerous. He will be going in for another surgery tomorrow morning to fix his newest heart issue so the SVT episodes will stop hopefully! A normal heart only has one conduction pathway for a beat to pass through, but Tytan's is different. Tytan's heart developed an extra pathway (nerve) for the electricity to flow through that cause these SVT episodes and his heart to beat at a racing 270 bpm which can throw him into Cardiac Arrest & his heart to stop:(( So tomorrow an Cardiac Electrophysiologist Surgeon will be going in and mapping his extra pathway and do a cardiac ablation if the extra nerve is not too close to the original pathway. Tytan has been a trooper through this all & continues to meet & greet every doctor, nurse, surgeon, etc. with a smile. He attitude amazes me and gives me strength to find joy in all this whether its fun or not just like he does! He's my hero! He is a special little guy with a very special little heart. Please say a special prayer for Tytan and the wonderful people who will be working on him tomorrow during surgery. Thanks for all the love, support, and prayers that have been said in behalf of "our miracle boy"!! He will also be having his big open heart surgery with they will do his Glenn procedure and a valve repair on September 30th, so please keep praying for him often!!
Also here is a little more on the procedure he is having done tomorrow:
More than likely, your doctor has recommended that you undergo cardiac ablation(also called catheter or radiofrequency ablation) because other treatments for your arrhythmia have not given you the relief you want. In cardiac ablation, the electrode delivers a low-voltage, high-frequency current that removes the heart tissue responsible for the arrhythmia. Most people who have a cardiac ablation experience either:
*A long-term reduction in the number of episodes of arrhythmia and the severity of symptoms, or
*A return to normal heart rhythm
This means that, after successful cardiac ablation, you may be able to stop taking medication for controlling heart rate or rhythm, or you may be able to reduce the amount you take. Do not modify your medications without consulting your doctor. Cardiac ablation is considered safe and is not associated with a significant risk, so the chance of experiencing complications is very low. The electrophysiologist (EP) will discuss any particular risks with you before the procedure. The procedure always begins with an electrophysiology study.
Mapping
Catheters (thin bendable tubes) are introduced into the heart via the circulatory system. One such catheter is special and is referred to as a 'mapping catheter'. This mapping catheter has a tiny electromagnetic sensor in its tip. This sensor communicates with the 3-D Electroanatomical Mapping and Ablation System in an EP lab and then by moving the catheter around the heart, the electrophysiologist creates a 3-D picture of the heart. The 3-D picture, or 'map', tells the EP detailed information about how the heart looks and where the electrical circuit is broken. The technology used is almost identical to the GPS technology used in navigation systems that we use every day in our cars.
Ablation
Once the EP has created a 3-D map of the heart, he or she can maneuver the catheter to certain areas where the electrical circuit is broken. The EP then uses an electrical impulse and neutralizes these small areas of the heart tissue that generate and conduct abnormal electrical activity, giving rise to the irregular heart rhythm.
The whole procedure (including the EP study and mapping) may take several hours.
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