Pacemaker settings

settings

by Tracey_E - 2019-11-05 12:41:51

Not sure on the first two but AP is atrial pacing percentage, VP is ventricular pacing percentage.

PM jargon

by crustyg - 2019-11-05 18:18:32

Many PM patients have significant AV conduction problems: the PM senses an atrial contraction and passes the electrical contraction onto the ventricular lead.  But if the atrial electrical signals happen too quickly (run of AFib or AFlutter) then the PM drives the ventricular rate much too fast.  Too fast here would be a high ventricular rate (your Q1).  Typically for your age >180bpm or so.  Apparently Automatic Mode Switching devices appeared on the market in the early 1990s where the PM software recognises that slavishly following the atrial electrical rate and driving the ventricles at the same rate would be unwise so they switch mode from atrial tracking to something closer to ventricular-only pacing, whilst continuing to sense the atrial electrical activity.

If your device does this mode switch, it will record an AMS event in the PM log - your Q2.

It's useful for your EP doc to know how often you're having atrial tachycardias and if this problem is getting better or worse.  It may affect any drug therapy you're on.

HTH.

Be Wary...

by donr - 2019-11-06 01:14:13

...of the High Ventricular Alert.  Your EP defines what that is by a setting.  He/she sets the number of beats necessary & the rate necessary to define it.  F'rinstance - my Cardiio set mine at 5 beats & 120 BPM.  He was looking for how often my heart exceeded normal rates.  Therefore it triggered that report VERY frequently.  Normally they set it at about 5 beats & about 175 BPM.  He had it set at that rate for years, but wanted to check to see if it was doing anything wierd at lower rates - in the slightly above normal level - like 120 - 150 range.  Unfortunately, he forgot he had done it & was surprised when he saw the frequency of those events - he thought it was set at 175 yet.  Scared the crap out of both of us for a moment.  what caught his attention was the number of mode switches (AMS's) without  seeing any High Rate events that I was having.

Donr