Most Recent Messages in Batteries & Leads

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Lead Removal nightmare

My history is that I had my first pacemaker implanted in 1991. In 1994 I had a lead break and it was decided to leave the old wires and push through new wires if they would fit. They did fit and the wires were pushed through leaving the old wires. In 2000 I had a battery change and in 2006 I became sick and was found to have an infection and had endocarditis on my heart valves so all of the first set of wires had to be removed along with the second set to give me a chance at recovering from t...

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rapid depletion

Hi,
My husband had a new Medtronic CRT-D (Viva) implanted in October of this year. At his first appointment is showed that there as 9 years on the battery, a week later.....8.9 years, three weeks later 7.3 years and now six weeks in it is showing 4.9 years left on the battery.

What the heck?? At this rate it will need to be replaced after just 3 months!! Has anyone heard of this happening? Should we be concerned? Has anyone had this happen?

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Question RE ICD replacement

Hi all. I have a St. Jude defibrillator. Implanted august 2008. It has never shocked me. I have long a t syndrome. I'm getting monthly checkups because the battery is low. But the clinic can't give me even a rough estimate of when it will be replaced. I guess I'm just frustrated and anxious, and looking for some guidance on how quickly you go from monthly checkups to a replacement. I know it's different for everyone. Thanks to those who respond.

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old leads

Hi again Went to see EP and he try his hardest with Medtronic rep. to rhythm control both bottom part of heart said he couldn't do anything for top part which is in A fib 100% but felt he wants to take me off of Toprol XL 100mg 2xdaily and place me on Coreg 25mg he says that Coreg better then Toprol XL for A fib he also said that Coreg can take 6weeks to get use to not being tired? is any one using Coreg that was on Toprol XL I am on Xarelto 20mg Altace 5mg 2xdaily digoxin 0.125 and have bee...

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old leads

Hi again Went to see EP and he try his hardest with Medtronic rep. to rhythm control both bottom part of heart said he couldn't do anything for top part which is in A fib 100% but felt he wants to take me off of Toprol XL 100mg 2xdaily and place me on Coreg 25mg he says that Coreg better then Toprol XL for A fib he also said that Coreg can take 6weeks to get use to not being tired? is any one using Coreg that was on Toprol XL I am on Xarelto 20mg Altace 5mg 2xdaily digoxin 0.125 and have bee...

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If you have PM can a stent be installed?

I'm almost 8 weeks with my first PM. When I walk over 1/4 mile I'm exhausted, have chest dis comfort and wonder If I should see the Dr. that doesn't return calls. What happens to the wires if a stent is needed?

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Pacemaker nwith One Lead?

Mt Husband has a Boston Scientific Pacemaker w/ 2 Leads. Due to his ongoing A-Fib Issues...His EP wanted to go in surgically and disconnect the One Lead to the upper chambers so he will not feel the A-Fib but will still have it ( Which is still leaving him @ Risk of A-Fib) ...But leaving him w/ just One Lead ...his Heart will be totally dependent on the pacemaker. This scares me to death. Has anyone ever had this done or heard of it? After postponing the Surgical Procedure to Disconnect the One...

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Rv lead problems

Hi,

I have a biventricular pacemaker and have been feeling dizzy, faint and just generally odd for quite a while. I went to A & E to be told I probably had an inner ear infection ( but that's another story !!) since the. I have been for my 6 monthly pm check to find out my RV lead is faulty - I'm unsure why Pm was only implanted dec 2011.

I have been informed I will have the lead replaced sometime in the next month - my question is how much damage am I doing to my heart whi...

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How long does it take to get back on my feet

Had my pacemaker changed 5 days ago how long does it usually take to get back to normal activities ie gym etc nites out lol i feel ok not sore still a little swollen and scar tender apart from that feel ok

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had op on tuesday

Had my pacemaker battery change on tuesday all went well got out on the same day a little sore and swollen but expected so few dyas rest then back to normal thanx guys for all the advice and gd words xxx

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Opinions

Hi my name is Hunter. I'm 20 years old. I have had my second pacemaker since 2008 and I have two leads. Now that it is 2014 I know I need to get it changed, but haven't been to the doctors for about almost three years. I was wondering if there was a way without going to the doctors to figure out if the battery is empty? I mean is there any signs like shortness of breath, pain, etc. ? I haven't been to the doctors, because I need to get insurence and now I need to find a doctor who specializes in...

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what does a pacer replacement entail?

Just had a checkup on the pacer and the Doc said the battery was running low (7 years).
I guess they change the pacer. Is this a big procedure?
a bit nervous I guess.
Ken

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op on tuesday few questions

Getting my pacemaker changed this tuesday i have a few questions if anyone can help

1.how long does it take to do procedure?
2.I know i will be sedated will i feel anything kinda worried about that never been awake for an operation?

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battery life

I read with much interest the responses from donr and Inga to vattens1 about the lines on the Medtronic card. I hope you all can help me understand battery life. My Medtronic is a year old. my last four pacer checks say Dec, 2013 6 years battery life (at that time device is 2 months old). March 2014 I am up to 10.5 years. June 2014 10 years. November of this year I am down to 6.5 years! I am pacing at 2.2%. I looked at battery voltage and the sequence for that time period went: 3.04v, 3.04v, 3.0...

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getting pacemaker fitted

Getting my pacemaker changed in a weeks time and have a few questions if anyone knows anything? many years ago when i got my pacemaker fitted one of the leads didnt work right and i felt dizzy faint because my heart couldnt pump the blood fast enough i wanted to know when they take my old pacemaker out to fit new one how do they keep my heart at a normal rhythm so i dont feel faint and dizzy lol is that a stupid question to ask lol also will i feel anything when they do the procedure

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Lead Extraction & Replacement Successful

I am 53-year-old woman with AV block and have had a PM for 31 years. I posted here way back in August because EP suggested a lead replacement of my 27-year-old leads. I was freaked out (to put it mildly) and took everyone's suggestions and slowed the process down so that they would actually LOOK at my chart to determine it was medically necessary and not just something that the referring doc "thought" might be warranted.

They did an echo, chest xray, and venogram to get more data....

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FREAKING OUT!

Hello, I have a heart defect I was born with. I had my pacemaker replaced in May 2014. Now I am being told that my heart is skipping beats and I need another lead added to my pacemaker for the bottom chamber of my heart. I had my pacemaker placed durning open heart surgery 11yrs ago so the leads are on the outside of the heart. The doctor is taking about replacing all the leads and adding the new one. From what I have read they can not remove the leads placed on the outside of the heart.

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Battery change

Hi Everyone, what is the typical battery life of a pacemaker? I've had mine for about seven years! Anybody had a recent battery change? How was it? Do they put in a whole new device?

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Lead detached

Has anyone had a lead detach from the heart after having it in place for several years? I had my original Boston Scientific CRT-D put in 8 years ago and everything went fine until this summer when I started an exercise program where I was going to a gym and lifting light weights. My doctor says this is highly unusual to have a lead move after this long, and now there is so much scar tissue around the leads that they can't get another lead in without doing a laser procedure to dissolve the scar...

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Pacemaker battery due to be replaced

Hi all, I wish I had found this site before now, I have had my pacemaker for 14 years now. I had open heart surgery at 24yo which left me with total heart block.
I have always suffered with ventricular ectopic beats (1000's a day) since i had my surgery, but now I am experiencing much bigger palpitations and I am wondering could the battery be causing this? with it being due for a replacement? These palpitations are so big they make me dizzy and feel so horrible, each time i wait for the hu...

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Member Quotes

At age 20, I will be getting a pacemaker in few weeks along with an SA node ablation. This opportunity may change a five year prognosis into a normal life span! I look forward to being a little old lady with a wicked cane!