More questions about lapband and vagus nerve connection

[parisshel 1,892]

I recently posted here suspecting I was experiencing dumping syndrome, due to accelerated heartbeat and heart arrthymia. Well, unfortunately it wasn't dumping syndrome; I've been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (aFib) and am now on beta blockers and a blood thinner, in an attempt to get my heart rhythm back to normal. There's been some posts about a possible connection between the lapband and atrial fibrillation but I can't find any real journal articles or studies to show my lapband surgeon and my [new] cardiologist. I would really like for them to take seriously my hypothesis that my lapband's position may be triggering the vagus nerve to be overstimulated, because my arrythmia only occurs after eating. If I don't eat, I don't have aFib. But as soon as I eat or drink, the aFib comes on (even with the beta blockers, but to a lesser extent.)

I would much rather get my band re-positioned or even removed, than stay on beta blockers or undergo an ablation. But first I need to convince my doctors that this is a real possibiliity so they can do an imaging to see both the nerve and the lapband's placement.

Any links to anything substantive (not just personal experience stories---you know the doctors will just roll their eyes at those)--medical journal reports, studies, anything that I can share with the medical team overseeing this---I'd truly appreciate.

[Bandista 7,466]

Shel! Nothing to offer here but love and support. I do have two friends with new heart valves and both started with similar....(neither are WLS patients). Keep us posted as to what's going on -- vagus is fascinating and I have a feeling the medical community as we know it has little info here, on the verge of so much. Very interesting data re: aFib after eating and with beta-blockers or no -- some one is looking for this info! Please keep us posted. There are amazing advances in heart science now. Meanwhile, let calm prevail. Keep exercising. You are amazing and it's all unfolding. Courage (you have that, my fierce LB friend!)......

[Bandarella 223]

I have arrhythmia (pvcs and svts) due to vagus nerve stimulation/irritation caused by my lapband. My cardiologist and cardiac electro physiologist have me on medications to manage it. Afib is a much more serious issue. If the vagus nerve is responsible, ablation won't do anything, since it's caused by a source outside the heart. Maybe ask for a consult with a cardiologist who is also a electro physiologist to determine a course of treatment. Best of luck!

Edited February 18, 2015 by Bandarella

[parisshel 1,892]

@Bandarella: Thank you for weighing in on this with your situation. I'm still quite in the thick of things and experiencing horrendous side effects from my beta blockers so I'm trying to find a solution. Would you mind sharing with me, either on this thread or via PM, how you diagnosed that your arrythmia was linked to your lapband? Both my surgeon and the cardiologist say that this is impossible, that the placement of the band is nowhere near the vagus nerve/heart.

I would rather have my band removed if that would solve my AFib than just cover up the Afib with medication and keep the band in, especially if the band is the culprit. But getting my surgeon to admit that a lapband may set off arrythmia? Not going to happen.

What kind of tests did they run and how did the test show the connection of the lapband to your arrythmia?

Ablation actually is effective on AFib, provided they burn the correct electrical pathways. It's got a 90% success rate at keeping AFib at bay, without all the horrible side effects of the AFib-specific beta blockers. But again, it makes better sense to me to get the band removed if removal would do the same thing as an ablation. Much less risky.

[Bandarella 223]

@Bandarella: Thank you for weighing in on this with your situation. I'm still quite in the thick of things and experiencing horrendous side effects from my beta blockers so I'm trying to find a solution. Would you mind sharing with me, either on this thread or via PM, how you diagnosed that your arrythmia was linked to your lapband? Both my surgeon and the cardiologist say that this is impossible, that the placement of the band is nowhere near the vagus nerve/heart.

My band migrated to just below the diaphragm on the esophagus. The combination of the band being on the esophagus and anything I swaloweed sitting in my esophagus irritated my heart and the vagus nerve. This was confirmed by my EP Cardiologist who reviewed my surgical reports and stress tests.

I would rather have my band removed if that would solve my AFib than just cover up the Afib with medication and keep the band in, especially if the band is the culprit. But getting my surgeon to admit that a lapband may set off arrythmia? Not going to happen.

What kind of tests did they run and how did the test show the connection of the lapband to your arrythmia?

1. I had no history of arrhythmia prior to lapband.

2. The Vagus nerve controls many autonomic functions, including heart rate/rhythm, digestion, etc. It runs alongside the neck, esophagus, and branches out at several places along its path. I had basically no function of the entire GI tract due to the scar tissue that built up on the esophagus under my band. As far as cardiac testing, a stress echocardiogram was done with imaging. I also had a gastric emptying study, EGD and esophageal manometry. I was seen by the Electrophysiologist who reviewed all of my tests, surgical records, photos and determined that since my issue was most likely from a source outside the heart, catheterization and ablation would most likely not resolve the issue and carries a risk. He gave me 2 Rx and those seem to be working to reduce my PVCs.

Ablation actually is effective on AFib, provided they burn the correct electrical pathways. It's got a 90% success rate at keeping AFib at bay, without all the horrible side effects of the AFib-specific beta blockers. But again, it makes better sense to me to get the band removed if removal would do the same thing as an ablation. Much less risky.

If the Afib is not caused by a node within the heart, it's not going to resolve your issues. It's a big procedure with its own risks. If you never had a history before your band and there's no evidence of cardiac disease or incident, removing your band might help. Removing my band didn't resolve the rythym issues, since the scar tissue could not be safely removed from my esophagus, it was just loosened by cutting through it . My GI doctor is currently treating 6 pts with bands experiencing similar symptoms to mine.

[cat lady 10]

Hi I am experiencing Afib and have had the band since July 2011. My first episode with Afib was June 2014 when my heart rate went to a racing 145 with skipping beats. Went to ER and they restored my heart rate to normal with drugs and I am taking a Beta Blocker & Cartizem to keep beat steady. I just had another episode the other night May14, 2015 and went again to ER where they converted beat with meds. Hate to live this way....so frightening. Happened both times lying down in bed watching TV....no stress related. My daughter mentioned that I should see if its band related...never thought it could be. Now I question that. Don't know where to go from hear. Not ready to go for ablation...afraid of the risks. Does anyone have any proof that it could be the band pressing on the vegus nerve?? Help please. Chris