Hi everyone I'm 21 years old and I had an ablation for SVt AVnode Reentry in April 03'. Since the ablation I've no longer had SVT but i've had other problems mainly SInus Tachycardia, some light headedness, and shortness of breathe that I attribute more to asthma than heart problems.

Anyways the problem I'm having the hardest time with might sound kind of goofy but Its really bugging me. I constantly see and feel my heart beating in my stomach. With or with out a shirt on if I look at my stomach I can see it beating clear as day. Also when I lay down and push on my stomach I feel my heart beat very hard on what I believe to be my Aorta.

1. I guess the question I have is could this be an Aortic Aneuryzm?
Or is this fairly normal to see your heart beat there and feel it it very easy? 2. Does anyone else have this problem?
I'm without health insurance so I cant see a doc right now.
3. during a catheter ABlation do they go through your Aorta and could that have caused it?

Please someone explain what this could be or if they to have similar problems.

If anyone could please answer this, if they know, as this is exactly what i have. But mine only started a few months back.

dosent sound serious, but you might want to get checekd out anyways

But its not uncommon to see your chest or stomach move as your heart beats....espcailly after exercise or if your heartrate has increased

If the cath was inserted into your femoral artery (groin), it traveled up and into your abdominal aorta, through your thoracic Aorta, where it is attached to the heart (left ventricle). If the cath was inserted into the brachial artery in your arm, it did not go through your abdominal aorta.The aorta is the "discharge pipe" of the heart. It is the artery through which blood flows out of the heart to the body. It is the “trunk” of the arterial tree and the largest artery in the body. All other arteries come from the aorta. Continuing from the upper aorta (thoracic aorta), the abdominal aorta carries blood down through the abdomen until it eventually splits off into two smaller iliac arteries that provide blood to the pelvis and lower limbs.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are far more common than thoracic aortic aneurysms, comprising up to 75 percent of known aortic aneurysms.Symptoms of abdominal aortic aneurysm may include a pulsating abdominal mass with rhythmic throbbing. However, there are often no symptoms.If the cath passed through your abdominal aorta (was inserted into the femoral artery in your groin), it wouldn't be the first time someone has been damaged in this way. Especially with an inexperienced interventional cardiologist and those in medical residency, learning how to do the procedure. This is part of the the risk associsted with cardiac catheterization.Odds are, they didn't cause yours, but irregardless of the cause, if you have one, you need to see a doctor immediately. He can feel for a mass and listen for a pulsating beat. Then, if needed he can order test such as ultrasound, ct scan, or an mri, to determine the size. Small ones are left untreated until they get > or = 5cm (1.96"), most times, as I understand the info I read.Part of this blurb was from a sponsor of this site. I hope see a doctor, and get fixed up soon :)

Hey Jack I tried doing some research but I couldn't find any info stating that catheter ablations have been know to cause an aneuryzm in the aorta from the catheter if an inexperienced tech is doing it.

You said its not the first time when else has it happened?

They did go through my femoral vein I know that. I don't have any rythmic throbbing or much pain unless I press on my stomach then I sometimes have a dull pain. The problem is feeling my heartbeat in my stomach periodically and seeing it beat. This may be common I'm not sure.

My main question would be this: If they did puncture or damage my aorta somehow during the procedure wouldn't I have had pain from it during and after the ablation?

Also if it is slightly damaged can it heal on its own?

Potential risks with cardiac catheterization :
The actual movement of the catheter should be painless, and the risk of complications during this procedure is below 1 percent for the most serious complications. Although rare, these risks include:
Bleeding around the point of puncture
Abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias)
Allergic reaction to the dye
Infection at the site of the puncture
Blood clots
Perforation of a blood vessel, or other damage to the arteries.
Heart attack
Stroke
Air embolism
Death

http://www.heartcenteronline.com/myheartdr/common/articles.cfm?Artid=260&startpage=7Ben, I can't answer these questions. My best friend's Mother had her aorta damaged (perforated) during a cardiac catheterization. They performed emergency surgery and she stayed in the ICU for 15 days. She was 74 at the time, and that probably complicates things. She is fine now. If you are concerned about having an aneurysm, see a doctor!

Ben,

I am going to say no on the aortic aneurism. It is usually symptomless and announces its presence by the onset of DEATH <subtle little devil, isn't it.>
When I was thinner, younger and wasp waisted I noticed the stomach pulse often. I'm sure it is quite normal.

I, too, have been dogged by the thought of an abdominal aortic aneurism since I've had 2 uncles (on opposite sides of my family) die instantly of it. Last week I got an echogram for liver size and made sure the Rx included the whole abdomen...YAY, normal width aorta.

If the aorta is damaged by any catheter procedure, I think it will most likely be an all or nothing perforation on the spot, rather than a muscle wall weakening that bulges into an aneurism.
If you're ever echoed for anything in the vicinity like gall bladder or stomach, you can borrow my uncles:D:D as an excuse to take a peak, but for now, I'd dismiss it.

I can tell you that I have a bit of a belly and I am not thin by any means and I can see my stomach move alot with my heart beat. I got really nervous when I saw mine after I placed my phone on my stomach and could see it move with my heart. Of course the phone moved from around my navel and all the way up to my chest as I moved it up in a straight line following the aorta. Yes aortic aneurysm can be found by a pulsating mass but a dr. can feel for this and should know what to look for better we do. Mine pulsing was so obvious in comparison to my wifes I thought I better have it checked out. The Dr. couldn't feel anything and said you would know your body better than I and know if this was worse than before. I had never noticed this pulsing before so I had a CT scan of my stomach with contrast to check the aorta, etc. I had also felt something of a mass in my stomach which was hard to tell the difference from surgery scarring when I had pyloric stenosis. Anyway, my pulsing was very noticable and I had the CT and nothing was there. My motto is better safe than sorry so don't get too worked up and go in and explain your concern to the Dr. Not many people get the chance to have symptoms for aortic aneurysms. I think it is around 25% who have symptoms.