“I’ve gotten my life back”

Physical activity is the centerpiece of Jane Yagoda’s busy life. Jane co-owns True North Kayak Tours with her son, so she’s often out on the water leading tours around Lake Champlain.

Jane started noticing her heart "fluttering" — a sensation she said felt like a fish flopping around inside her chest. She could no longer maintain her active lifestyle, forcing her son to take over much of the kayaking part of the business.

When Jane was diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm, she met with Peter Spector, M.D., director of Fletcher Allen’s Heart Rhythm Program, who is a national expert in this field.

Upon meeting with Jane, Dr. Spector recommended cardiac ablation — a technique in which catheters that emit radiofrequency energy are inserted into the heart to correct the areas of muscle responsible for the abnormal heart rhythm.

"From the moment I met with Dr. Spector and the team, I felt very secure," Jane says. ‘They talked me through the whole procedure. Every question I had, they were right there with an answer."

Jane underwent cardiac ablation at Fletcher Allen in May of 2007. The effects of the procedure were almost immediate.

Within a few months, Jane was back in her kayak.

This winter, she’s busy snowshoeing and cross-country skiing — in between trips to the gym. She has not had a single episode of atrial fibrillation since the procedure.

"I feel that I received Class A care," she says. "And I’m so grateful that, because of that care, I’m back to doing the things I love. This whole experience has been life-renewing."

"For my heart condition, Fletcher Allen was the place to be."

At mile 123 of the Lake Placid Iron Man triathlon, there was perhaps no one more aware of his steadily beating heart than Steve Offenfeltz.

A few years earlier, Steve, a carpenter, had been building an addition for a house when he noticed that his heart suddenly started beating rapidly. If he hadn’t been an athlete who often wore a heart rate monitor while exercising, he might have written it off as nothing. But he knew this wasn’t right.

After several examinations, Steve was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – a condition characterized by irregular, rapid beating of the heart’s two upper chambers. For awhile, Steve was on a drug regimen to control the episodes. Over time, he grew tired of the drugs, which either didn’t work very well or had significant side effects.

Steve was referred to Dan Lustgarten, M.D., Ph.D., a Fletcher Allen physician who specializes in the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms. Using a technique called cardiac ablation, catheters are placed in the heart to ablate, or burn, the diseased tissue. The scar tissue can no longer conduct electricity, and the irregular heart beat vanishes.

Steve felt confident in the electrophysiology team right from the start. "Dr. Lustgarten really made me feel that this was the place to be for my condition," he says today. "And Dawn Fragola, R.N., did a great job helping me – and my family – understand what to expect before and after the procedure."

Today, Steve continues to live a full and active life – whether he’s biking through the hills of Vermont or competing in a triathlon. "I sometimes advise other cardiac ablation candidates," he says, "and I tell them that this is the team and the approach that will really make all the difference in their lives. It’s a much better way to live."