Medtronic transmission

Transmission

by Sisterwash65 - 2020-11-09 17:15:42

Go to the Medtronic website. They have lots of information but basically this is what’s sent on a transmission.

The following is some of the information that is transmitted:

- Battery longevity

- Lead integrity

- Device settings

- Cardiac arrhythmias, eg atrial fibrillation

- Heart rate profile, pacemaker use

What is seen ?

by Gemita - 2020-11-09 17:56:22

Following on from Sisterwash65, if you do a transmission they will be looking primarily for a significant event, like for instance

.  Evidence of a rapid heart rate (say above 130 bpm or higher), depending on your upper heart rate setting which might automatically trigger a report

.  A significant atrial tachy arrhythmia like Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter/Atrial tachycardia/SVT, or a more serious ventricular arrhythmia like Ventricular Tachycardia which would need to be present for a certain duration and at a set heart rate to automatically trigger a report

An immediate download may produce an ECG recording to confirm an event as above, but it really depends how your pacemaker has been programmed.  Pacemakers cannot store too many ECG recordings, only significant ones, but if you have had a significant event it will certainly record this and your pacemaker team will be able study the ECG report and tell you exactly what was seen and the significance of the arrhythmia.  

You will be called immediately if anything significant is seen, but from experience significant usually means an exceptionally high heart rate (for me at least above 160 bpm.  Atrial Fibrillation at a steady pace of 120 bpm lasting several hours would not necessarily excite my team, although they would suggest I increase my medication!

So to conclude, it depends what they have set up for your pacemaker to record.  If an event doesn't meet the criteria set by the technician, it may not record the event, but certainly your team should be able to confirm whether you were in normal sinus rhythm, your heart rate, evidence of an arrhythmia and arrhythmia type and the duration, time, date of event.

I would recommend you keep a diary note of the time, date, and of any symptoms like dizziness, breathlessness, chest pain, weakness you experience at the time you do an automatic transmission to correlate with anything that your clinic finds.  I hope you get some reassuring answers and feel better soon.  Remember though if you are having worrying symptoms and they do not ease quickly, forget those numbers and just seek help.  Go by how you feel and you won't go wrong