Kirti's heart rhythm story
How a life-changing cardiac procedure stopped Kirti worrying about her heart health
When Kirti first felt a heart palpitation, she went to see her GP as it was something she hadn’t experienced before. After undergoing tests, she was told she had supraventricular tachycardia, known as SVT - a heart rhythm disorder which causes the heart to suddenly beat faster than normal.
Kirti knew she needed to get it treated, but she was apprehensive: “Treatments on your heart seem so serious, so major - I was too anxious," so she delayed seeking further care.
However, in 2020 her palpations seemed to come back more seriously - on one occasion her family called an ambulance. Kirti adds: “It was terrible. I thought I was going to die. I was just so scared. After that I went to see Dr Mike Koa-Wing."
I didn’t realise how much my heart palpitations were affecting me”
Kirti
Bringing Kirti's heart back to a normal rhythm
Kirti saw Dr Kao-Wing, Consultant Cardiologist at The Wellington Hospital’s Outpatient and Diagnostics Centre in Elstree, which was close to where Kirti lives. He explained that with SVT, your heart rate can suddenly increase to over 100 beats per minute, where the norm is usually somewhere between 60-100. For some people it’s not a serious condition, for others they are likely to require treatment – the latter being the case for Kirti.
Kirti was booked in for a catheter ablation, where a tube is inserted through the bladder and navigated to the heart to target and destroy the tissue causing the abnormal heart rhythm. Kirti was incredibly nervous about the procedure, and even pushed back her initial treatment date to April 2021, even though the team did everything they could to put her at ease.
The staff were incredible. They are the best. Every step was explained, and two nurses sat and talked with me as I couldn't have visitors due to the pandemic.
Kirti
When it was time for her procedure, Kirti was asked whether she would prefer to be awake with sedation during the procedure, over general anaesthetic. She adds: “I would never have thought I'd be brave enough to do that and be awake the entire time, but Dr Koa-Wing and the team made me feel so comfortable. I'm so glad I did it - I understand so much more about the treatment now and feel so proud of myself."
Immediately after the procedure, Kirti knew she had done the right thing. "I hadn't realised how much it was affecting me. I was so busy worrying about the procedure, I forgot to think about how good I would feel afterwards.”
Kirti is now off beta-blockers, which she had been taking to slow down her heart rate, and has plenty of energy, she adds:
I've never felt happier. My husband and I are retired - we both love to travel and had to cancel our holidays. We can now look forward to going to Japan!