Submitted by Dr T on July 1, 2013 – 2:32pm
Question:
Dr. T – our son had an ablation for WPW at age 15. He is now 30 and had a recurrence. He is very disappointed it came back, because we were told 95% chance it would not. He is on Cartia, and does not plan to agree to another “exploratory” ablation procedure. He doesn’t have insurance and can’t pay for the recent stay in the hopsital when he was left out of the decision making process, and told to wait for days for a doctor who would perform the procedure. My question: can he continue taking Cartia med “as needed” or how long can he put off a surgical procedure? Thank you-
Hi Diane,
I cannot judger from here what is needed, whether an ablation or the meds he is taking to prevent complications. No procedure – including ablation – has a 100% success rate. Btw, he should not be responsible for an unnecessary hospital stay. If recurrent WPW has been diagnosed, treatment is absolutely necessary; after all patients with WPW are at high risk for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).
Most often, if necessary, patients w/o the necessary insurance or funds can get help via special programs. You should help him explore his options!
Hope this helps,