Lead adjustment

Hi! I have had my pm for 4months last Tuesday and an about to go in to try to get my ventricle lead moved. It stimulated my diaphragm from the beginning so they turned my voltage down and my rate down to 35 to keep me from feeling it. They wanted to do surgery right after they found the problem but I convinced them to wait until after my basketball season was over. Well now it's over but they said they might not be able to extract it but will have to put another lead in.

I have a few questions... First, if they leavi it in does it stay in forever?? And second, how many more leads can I get before no more fit? If I have to have a pm for the next 70 or 80 years how many times do leads need replacing?

2 Comments

New Lead

by Good Dog - 2016-02-28 12:02:08

Had they moved your lead within a week or two after it was implanted, it would not have been a problem. However, after being in place for a longer period it can make it difficult to move and/or remove. The vein kind of shrink-wraps itself around the lead. However, I don't know if 4 months is long enough to create that problem. I am not sure anyone can know until they go in and try. I think that is why they said they "might not" be able to move or extract it. It sounds as though they will try to re-position or remove it before inserting another lead.

Here is the thing......if they can easily relocate the lead or remove it, I am sure they will. If it is not free enough to do so, then it becomes a more specialized/higher risk procedure. It is much easier and safer to simply insert another lead, cap the old one and leave it in place. I had that done 19 years ago. So yes, if necessary, they will leave it in place forever.
Your question regarding how many times leads need to be replaced; it depends. I have a lead that is 30 years old and still working fine. Some folks have problems with them after 15 years. So nobody knows for sure. As far as how many leads can you have before it is necessary to extract? It varies. I have heard of folks that have up to 5 leads. It depends upon your veins. Having extra leads does not present a problem.
I would think that at your young age you should insist that they re-position or remove that lead since it has been in-place for such a short time. Perhaps they can do that easily. If not, you should discuss the possibility of having the more specialized extraction procedure from an experienced doc (that does extractions frequently). I say that only because of your age and the short length of time it has been in-place. There could come a time 30-50 years from now when too many leads can become a problem. However, that is an important discussion you should have with your doctors.
Sincerely,
David

leads

by Tracey_E - 2016-02-28 12:02:40

If they leave it in, it stays indefinitely. Practically that means when you run out of room, because that's when they'll extract and start fresh. After 4 months, they should be able to reposition. It takes about a year for them to grow in tight enough that they won't budge, you're nowhere close to that.

They can fit 3-4 leads before they have to extract or go to the other side. Leads last on average 15 years but that's just a number, they can last 20 or 30 or more. I got my first set in 1994. My ventricular lead was replaced in 2010, capped it off and left it in there. My original atrial lead is still going strong.

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