Can heart rate be lowered to 50 rpm

I have a heart rate set to 70 rpm, and I feel it is too high. I was wondering what the lowest limit is on a pacemaker.

4 Comments

depends upon you

by techiej - 2016-01-02 05:01:29

FWIW I just had my PM installed 2 weeks ago. The lower rate was set to 50 and I feel better than I have in a long time.

Prior to my having problems (it was dipping into the low 40's and occasionally 30;s) my "normal" at rest rate for many years had been 50-55.

So, basically, they put my lower rate to what my prior "normal" had been.

Hi JWorth.......

by Tattoo Man - 2016-01-02 07:01:10


......mine is set at 50 largely because I have a low dependence and a lower setting will extend the battery life.

We are all so different so I guess the decision is down to how your experts see the situation...theres nothing to be lost by asking the question.

Best wishes

Tattoo Man

lowering to 50

by Hairy - 2016-01-02 11:01:11

I had my PM lowered to 50 from 60 after about a year at 60. I feel better. My PM was firing a fair amount to keep my rate above its natural 50-55. My current resting rate is now consistently at its natural rate.

My guess is that it could be set lower still. When I was running marathons, my resting rate was about 40. I don't see any reason why your rate shouldn't be set at 40 if you are a long distance runner. Sadly, my knees are shot and I can no longer do distance.

yes, probably

by Tracey_E - 2016-01-02 12:01:27

Why do you have the pm? It would help us answer your questions if you filled in your profile information. If you have av block or something like that, it doesn't matter what the lower limit is because your own sinus node is setting the pace. If you have sinus dysfunction or something else that requires atrial pacing, then your lower limit matters and will affect how you feel. They can set it wherever they want. 60 is more normal, 50 is not unheard of, 70 is a little high tho sometimes they have good reason for setting it higher. If it doesn't feel good, talk to them about it.

One thing to keep in mind, if your rate was low for a long time before you got the pacer, a normal rate is going to feel high for a bit. My rate was in the 40's then the 30's, so that first year it felt like I was constantly racing. I wasn't, but "normal" was double what I was used to

You know you're wired when...

You prefer rechargeable batteries.

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In fact after the final "tweaks" of my pacemaker programming at the one year check up it is working so well that I forget I have it.