Confused about PM report differences

I have had my Medtronics PM for just over 3 years. I was diagnosed with SSS and Chronotropic Incompetence. I have a history of AFib with an ablation in June 2010. My pm settings are: 45bpm during the day, 40bpm from 10pm to 6am. The Rate Responsive setting is on. I was only able to find my last 4 reports to compare my numbers. 9/5/12 I had 1 high rate ventricular episode, the threshold is set at 200 and my rate was 202. I had AS-VS 50.9%, AS-VP .1%, AP-VS 48.6%, and AP-VP .3%. I had 419 PVCs in the 6 month period with 53 PVC runs and 12 PAC runs. Last weeks report was 4 high rate ventricular episodes, AS-VS 64.1%, AS-VP .2%, AP-VS 35.6%, AP-VP .1%. PVCs were 1345, 8 PVC runs and 58 PAC runs. So my question is why the decrease in AP-VS from 48.6% to 35.6%? and why the increase in PVCs and PAC runs? Nothing in my lifestyle has changed. I am an active duty fire fighter. I run 50+ miles per week, circuit weight training 2-3 times a week, and run a taxi service for my kids on my days off.

1 Comments

Pacing percentages

by golden_snitch - 2014-04-06 01:04:26

Hi Firefoy!

Well, your atria seem to go into bradycardia less often, so that means your sinus node is able to keep up better than before and that is great news, I'd say! The PVCs are not worth mentioning. Really, even if you had that number in a 24 hours period you'd still be fine; in a 6 months period these numbers are peanuts. Absolutely nothing to worry about. Roughly about 20%-25% of pacemaker patients have short ventricular high rate episodes (non-sustained v-tach), without any consequence. They just happen. They'd most likely also happen, if these persons had no pacer, but no one would know; since they have one, the device picks these short episodes up and stores them.

You know, the most important thing is how you feel, not the numbers on the pacer report. And from what you wrote about working as a fire fighter, running 50 miles per week etc., it sounds like you are doing very very well. So, don't worry about changes in pacing percentages or PVCs/PACs. These will always be subject to change, you will most likely never get a report that shows exactly the same numbers. There are no dramatic changes in your reports. Dramatic would be, if you were suddenly paced 100% in the ventricle or were having millions of PVCs within 6 months.

Best wishes

Inga

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