Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome (Heart)

[1 Zulu Alpha]

Recently failed my initial class 1 medical with Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome after 33 hours towards PPL.

Advised to have a catheter abalation (operation on the Heart) to fix the problem. The CAA medical staff at Gatwick say that after tests prove the condition is gone then I can continue to persue my dream.

I wondered if anyone flying has had this done? Did it work? and how hard it is to get passed fit again??

Thanks in advance.

[docstone]

Wolf Parkinson White (also jokingly known as Wilfred Hyde White syndrome, but you need to be of a certain age to apprecaite the pun) can very often be treated very successfly by cardiac ablation.

The CAA test will be ECG based and quite possibly 24 holter tapes where your heart is monitored and recorded on a small tape carried like a walkman. With OK test results, a Class 1 should be feasible.

[cirrus driver]

This condition is due to an accessory ( extra) electrical pathway in the heart.
The ease of ablation is dependent on the site of the pathway.
Some pathways are in easily accesible areas of the heart and others are close to an important electrical relay station( AV node)
Ablation is planned only after an EP( Electrophysiology) study.
Make sure that your study and ablation are done in a centre where many procedures are done and the chances of success are high.
Often the first ablation ( burning of tissue to interrupt the accessory pathwy) is conservative,in which case the pathway may return after a month or two.
A repeat procedure can be done.
I had one patient in whom three tries were needed.
He is now flying ( 5 years later) in the RAAF.
Cirrus:) :) :)