New to this

I have just been told that I need a pacemaker. I am waiting to hear from the doctor that will do the surgery.  I just completed a study with a heart monitor for 30 days and my cardiologist called me imediately.  I know very little about these devices and find that there are a number of brands available.  How do I know if I am going to get the best brand or type of unit for my conditions?  Where will I find the best info that is not from a manufacturer. They seem to be prejudiced. 

3 Comments

Hi

by Jasminxox - 2020-01-22 15:54:46

hiya, 

Hopefully you’re hospital will give you what they think is best for you’re condition ! Do you mind me asking what they have diagnosed you with ? As far as I have been told, when it comes down to it they all roughly work the same and obviously have the same impact ( stopping you’re heart rate from stopping/going to slow) I’m 19 and was fitted with my pacemaker in October last year and am feeling much better than how I felt before hand, I have 3rd degree AV block after having open heart surgery also I’m october from a congenital heart defect. Have you spoken to you’re doctors about what make will be best for you or have they not given you much information? 

Depending on *your* requirements there are significant differences

by crustyg - 2020-01-22 17:02:00

As Jasminxox says, all modern PMs do the job of keeping your heart rate up to some sensible level to give you a decent blood supply from your heart to your brain and other flow-sensitive tissues.

Two main reasons why folk need a PM: their natural pacemaker (the SA node) is failing/has failed OR their conduction system that carries the electrical impulse from the SA node (or atria) down to the ventricles has become defective/has failed completely (heart block).

*IF* your SA node is still working and you have heart block then all that really matters is that your dual-chamber PM is set to replicate *all* of your natural pacing impulses for you.  If your SA node has failed then you really care about the PM's ability to work out that you need a high heart rate when you exercise or dance, or run up stairs, or chase after a bus.  This is where the PM vendors have big differences.  All modern PMs with a rate response feature have an accelerometer in them to tell the PM that you are moving around.  This doesn't work for some forms of exercise - yoga, Pilates, road cycling - where the upper body doesn't move very much.

Talk to your EP doc about your lifestyle, what exercises you do now and want to do in the future.  Your choices (together) will be with you for at least 7 years from implantation - longer if you have an extended-life (==bigger battery) model.

Choose wisely.

not your job

by dwelch - 2020-01-31 00:30:58

it is definitely not your job to choose the brand or device. your job is to tell the doc the kinds of things you do and what you wish to do (not might wish to do but really have a chance at it, if my heart worked better i would like to hike more).

Any sports or work or activities that invovle the shoulders, like backpacking with heavy packs, hunting or anything to do with a rifle against the shoulder.  Hockey, football, etc...It may affect which side and where they place the device so that you can continue to or have a better chance at doing those things.

If the doc doesnt have any information then they have to guess as to what device you will need, its not like these things are fine tuned one model will cover a range of situations and they are way more programmable than my first ones.  

your medical condition plays into it and thats up to the doc and the reps from the pacer companies to sort out.

 

You know you're wired when...

You have the perfect reason to show off your chest.

Member Quotes

In life we have to consider what is more important, the loss of the vanity or the gain of the life.