VT, ARVD faulty lead?

Hello,
I am 56 years old and have been having episodes of VT over a number of years and 7 years ago I had an ICD implanted and prescribed Sotolol. I have tried Nebivolol and Flecanide but find Sotolol suits me best, however any more than 120 mg per day gives me a headaches and sleepless nights. I was diagnosed as having ARVC (ARVD in USA). Over the past 2.5 years the incidents of VT have increased considerably and I have had quite a number of shocks. In October 2005 I had ablation and was fairly well until last July. Last July I was pulling a hosepipe in the garden and went into VT and received a shock. Since that time I have had to be very careful not to exert myself. I have to walk very slowly and vehicles with hard suspension will trigger eptopic beats and then VT. The VT seems to be triggered by external vibration rather than physical exertion.
For some time I experienced "discomfort" in my chest whenever I moved my left arm to my right side. My cardiologist was puzzled because the defibrillator was recording a huge number of incidents of AF however it was never seen on any routine ECG. Last August my cardiologist arranged for the Medtronic representative to check the devise and settings. He found that the above mentioned arm movement was being recorded as AF and concluded that I have a faulty atrial lead. This discomfort was programmed out by altering the atrial lead sensitivity.
Please could you advise if the VT is triggered by my heart vibrating, the ICD vibrating or the faulty lead?
Have others had the same experience as me?
Many thanks
Steve

3 Comments

ICD/Sotalol

by Peter.Nash - 2007-04-16 03:04:26

Hi Steve,
I have had a few shocks from my ICD one came from nowhere out of the blue and another three I had seem to happen when bending down to open a drawer in my workshop. so I think you are right ...some odd things trigger these VT's off I wouldnt say mine were caused by over exertion ...more a matter of how my heart reacts to various positions or perhaps compression in some way. who knows!!!
I to am on Sotalol 160mg's a day, I find splitting this dose up into 4 timesaday makes it more tolerable so I don't have to many problems with it ..although most of these beta-blockers wiegh you down th some extent.
Hope all is wel with you soon... Peter.

Sotalol

by Vai - 2007-04-17 07:04:35

I don't have VT but am prescribed 160 mg Sotalol per day to control my AT with a PM implanted. Sotalol slows the heart (and the body) down. The nurse advised me to split the dosage to 2 (12-hourly intervals) times a day. Couple of things to observe
- avoid taking any dosage just before sleep. Allow at least 4 hours
- take the dosage at least 1/2 hour before meals to get max effect
- take some food after the dosage, don't go on empty stomach for a prolong period after thanking the dosage.

So for my time convenience, I chose to take it at 7:00 AM & 7:00 PM daily. This really help with the energy and the sleep problem.

My experience with AT episodes is not similar to the VT. It seem to be triggered when under stress and when the body is really tired. Its terrible when it fibrillates. I don't get the shocks but its no fun!



Ask your doctor and Device Rep to review ECG record

by IBelieveICanFly - 2007-05-06 12:05:56

Guys, things like moving your arm or bending down are not supposed to lead to a false diagnosis of VT episode. Your doctor and the device representative can review the recorded ECG to determine whether there is a real VT episode or not. False diagnosis could be caused by lead problems or inappropriate device configuration.

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