VT and pacemaker settings?

I have just discovered from an interrogation and stress echo that I have been having bouts of VT. Can these be caused by a pacemakers setting being set wrong for exertion? (The symptom that brought me to the cardiologist was post-exercise exhaustion when I have been trying to push myself on hikes.) Cardiologist is suggesting I have angiogram to see if I have a blockage (very unlikely with my history, but not impossible), but I am double checking with an EP to get that side of the story. Any thoughts/ experience out there?

7 Comments

not likely

by Tracey_E - 2013-03-13 09:03:59

VT implies it starts in the ventricles, not the atria. The pm would pace the atria if you rate needs to be faster on exertion. Ventricular pacing generally only happens when the atria beats but the ventricles don't keep up. How fast was it and how long did it last?

A blockage is always possible, regardless of health and family history. Odds are lower if we are a good weight, have good cholesterol, exercise, no family history, but it can happen with anyone.

Thanks

by wantok - 2013-03-13 10:03:50

I am good weight, good cholesterol, exercise and no family history. All I can tell from the interrogation printout is I had 25 episodes, the longest was 6 minutes. But I don't know how fast, possibly because I can't figure that out. I only got one page.

electrical problems

by Tracey_E - 2013-03-14 09:03:18

Electrical problems are short circuits that just happen, completely unrelated to our lifestyle. I'd talk to the EP before getting the angiogram, but that's just me, your history is electrical not plumbing. Definitely get it checked out, though, that's a lot of episodes. Were the episodes during activity or at rest?

activity or rest

by wantok - 2013-03-14 11:03:27

I do not know for sure except for the one during recovery in the stress echo. I am guessing they are because the symptom that caused this whole thing was my post-exercise fatigue. Off to the EP this a.m. Lucky he fit me in.

EP says...

by wantok - 2013-03-15 03:03:20

VT usually means blockage, so angiogram is always done.

well then

by Tracey_E - 2013-03-15 11:03:31

So I guess you'll have the angiogram? Let us know how it goes.

Angio report

by wantok - 2013-03-20 05:03:08

Just got back and arteries all clean, in fact, exceptional. The next step is to have a meeting with cardiologist and Medtronic technician to see if it is a problem with my settings. What makes me furious is that before the angiogram I went to the EP and said I thought it could be exactly this--and many times before I had fought to have a Medtronic technician meet with my former cardiologist/EP and pacemaker technicians to no avail. So it is likely, although not 100% at this moment, that that is the problem. One interesting thing I learned is that VT is NOT, in and of itself, a dangerous heart rhythm. It is only dangerous if it is the symptom of a blockage. I need to try and relax about this new outrage, and be thrilled that I don't have a bad heart. (Funny, everyone tells me what a great heart I have, and this is after getting a pacemaker, cardiac ablation and now angiogram!)

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