New Pacemaker Dropping Too Low

I have a new pacemaker (three weeks) and it is set to go no lower than 60 beats per minute. In the last two days it has dropped to 47 but quickly goes back to 60 and higher. Is this normal? Thanks!

4 Comments

Went To Doctor Today

by terrymac12345 - 2014-12-11 07:12:04

The medtronic guy just happened to be there (once a month) and they fit me in. Turns out that some of are born with extra heart beats which confuses the pulse monitor. Everything was O.K. however and I accomplised more today than in months of pre- pacemaker days.
Thanks for all the feedback!

No Sensing?

by donb - 2014-12-11 07:12:58

I had this happen with my 5th pacemaker within the 1st hour of implant. This went on for a couple months till I had interrogation & they found my atrial lead was not sensing hence my low setting of 60 did nothing.
I had my 6th replacement along with leads replaced. Generally it's not a pacemaker defect but scar tissue around the sensing tip attached to the heart wall.
I think this is your 1st pacemaker & it's not unusual to have a lead repositioned. Your Dr will take care !! Keep us posted !!
DonB

counts

by Tracey_E - 2014-12-11 09:12:45

How did you count 47? If it was on a bp machine or heart rate monitor, odds are it's the machine, not you. They are not always accurate with us, the pm can confuse it. It's always best to count manually, but even then we can be off because sometimes there are small beats we don't feel between stronger ones. When in doubt, ask to be checked. Make a note of the time you counted the lower number so they can check the report.

If you are counting accurately and the pm is working properly, then no, you should never get that low. High 50's would be normal, but lower than that shouldn't happen. The pm isn't set in beats per minute, but rather by seconds, so it's not going to let your heart slow down then speed it up again. If you are set at 60, that's one beat per second so as soon as you go a second without a beat, it jumps right in.

iwantmikenow

by Tracey_E - 2014-12-11 12:12:37

If all you have is heart block, the lower limit is usually irrelevant. For us, the pm never sets the pace, it just completes the circuit. Lower limit is for atrial pacing when the sinus node slacks off. With av block, the sinus node is normal so this shouldn't happen. Our problem is the signal getting through to the ventricles so the pm is pretty much playing follow the leader, making sure the ventricles stay in sync with the atria. Every time the atria beats and the ventricles don't keep up, it paces.

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