Pacemaker life expectancy

(Pacemaker) life expectancy

by AgentX86 - 2021-01-16 13:34:52

You don't give much information to go on but the added pacing percentage won't decrease your pacemaker's life all that much.  I have no idea what pacemaker you have but its life should be around seven years, ive or take a couple.

Again, you give no information but a pacemaker won't decrease your life expectancy at all, probably just the opposite.  Any danger is in the underlying reason you needed a pacemaker but the pacemaker isn't likely making anything worse.

The reason they've likely changed from 12 month checks to six months is that something has changed so just want to see if it changes more.  If they know quicker, it's easier to intervene early.

Pacemaker life expectancy

by avcalv - 2021-01-16 13:59:16

Sorry for being so vague i suppose im looking for a bit of reassurance as my last 2 pm checks my dependancy has gone up. the bottom lead was 100% but now the  other lead is on the rise .  i was told there was 3n a half to 4 yrs battery life left but i was curious to get some info about my own life expectancy due to the increse of the dependancy on the pacemaker

A question only that can only be answered from above

by jds66 - 2021-01-16 16:30:12

Your battery life and actual LIFE expectancy have very little correlation, thank God!

You may be paced 100% of the time, and never have issues. 

You could be paced 100% of the time and eventually develop cardiomyopathy, but that is not gurantee. 

Best thing to do, get an echo every year or two, that will tell you the rate your heart is pumping blood from the ventricles, called the ejection fraction. If that is over 50% or so and you have no shortness of breath or swelling of the ankles, etc, your heart is probably ok in that regard. 

I am almost 55, on my second pacer now, and have had a third lead put into my Left Bundle branch, to counteract any potential cardiomyopathy. I expect (and, no guarantee because of my proactive approach) to be around as long as the good man upstairs lets me.

I get mine checked at least twice a year, and that is fine with me. As you are doing, it is good to keep your stats on where things are. Maybe he is looking at your increased ventricular pacing, could be. But let your symptoms, or lack of them, guide you also.  

Hopefully you will be around a long long time. 

Pacemaker life expectancy

by avcalv - 2021-01-16 18:54:09

Thanks for the replies...my ankles do swell from time to time shortness of breath is sporadic my energy levels are good...but my concern is the growing dependency on my pm. I exercise as much as I can but at times I fear the worse...thanks again for the comments they are much appreciated I will try to stay positive 

being paced

by Tracey_E - 2021-01-17 12:37:10

Simply being paced has no impact on our life expectancy, regardless of how much we are paced. Our heart goes too slowly, the pacer makes it go faster. 

Talk to your doctor about remaining active, what you can do to deal with the shortness of breath and what is safe for you. Being fit and eating well are the two best ways for anyone- paced or not- to increase their life expectancy. 

Pacemaker life expectancy

by avcalv - 2021-01-17 12:53:29

Ah ok so the amount we are paced at makes no difference at all? I was concerned that recent checks have shown an increse in  pacing was a bad sign that my ticker was getting worse and was fearing the worse (im a glass half empty kinda guy haha) . Has anyone got any suggestions to the correct questions i should be asking  when i go for my next check up in 6 months ..many thanks in advance

Some basic questions

by jds66 - 2021-01-17 13:31:51

As Tracey_E said, the amount of pacing, if it going up, doesnt mean your getting worse, so your going to expire earlier than you normally would. 

The pacemaker actually is going to keep you going longer than if you did not have it, I know you understand that. 

One of my Medtronic reps made your question, very similiar to my question when I notice my ventricular pacing readings going from the 20% range in the 2014 time frame to 90% v pacing by 2020, this was his statement-

"your disease has progressed, and your pacemaker is doing more to overcome that"

In my case, the heart block became worse from when first diagnosed in 2012 and now the pacer was doing more than sitting and monitoring my heart as it had alot in the early days for me in 2012-2013. 

So, yes, something is changing in your body, but the real questions for yourself- "how do I feel?"

You say your noticing some swelling, is that new?

I would ask your doctor the following:

1.Can you send me for a echocardigram of the heart so we can see what my ejection fraction is? That test will tell you if your heart is moving to a worse place. If you have never had one, now you will have a line in the sand to compare when you get another one, say in another year or six months. 

2.What are my AS-VS readings from last year to now? Really, you want to know all your readings, there are 4 main ones, AS-VS(atrium sensing-ventricle sending) AS-VP(atrial sensing, vent pacing) AP-VS(atrial paced-ventricle sensed) AP-VP(atrial pacing-vent pacing). This is the bread and butter, tells you how much you have been paced since the last pacer interrogation and gives you an idea of what might be going on. In my case, my AP-VP number went through the roof in 6 years, which concerned me, as you are now. 

3.Flat out ask the doctor what is he worried about happening? Cardiomyopathy? Is he seeing event readings on the interrogation, flutter issues, other things that the interrogatoin report is alerting him to?

Show some knowledge with the basic questions, they will see your not the typical person that just gets a reading and silently suffers. You control the situation, within reason, and find out what is going on. 

Pacemaker and life expectations

by AgentX86 - 2021-01-17 13:43:22

Certainly progressing heart disease isn't a good thing but we've all been there. We weren't born with a pacemaker, yet we can still live a "normal" life. OTOT, we can over-think this into a deep depression.  Your choice.

Tracy gives you en excellent start. If you have SOB and edema, probably the best thing that you can do for yourself is to exercise. I'd suggest walking. It's easy on the body and moving the legs will really help edema but as your doctor.

Pacemaker life expectancy

by avcalv - 2021-01-17 14:01:57

jdds thanks for that reply ...just the sort of kick up the ass i needed and some of your points are very useful i will be asking those questions on my next visit...In fact thanks for all the replies as im a newbie on this site and have scrolled alot of the messages and picked up a few pointers. AgentX86 thanks for your input too as i said in an earlier message im still very active and walk every day (doing my 10k steps) its just he occasional dizzy spells and  odema of ankles that had me worried i class myself as a young 57 and like to be as active as possible ...thanks again guys i really appreciate your input

pacing

by Tracey_E - 2021-01-17 17:59:35

Many of us start off paced 100%. I've paced every beat since 1994. As the disease progresses, the pacer kicks in more to continue to fix it, so no, pacing more isn't by itself a bad thing. 

One thing that a lot of people may not understand, our heart is always doing the beating. The pacer merely sends the signal that the heart would have sent if the electrical system was working propertly. The heart responds by contracting. So the beat is the same, it's just the source of the signal to beat that comes from the pacer. 

The shortness of breath and swelling feet should be addressed, however. Find out what's causing it and be proactive. 

Pacemaker life expectancy

by avcalv - 2021-01-17 18:14:07

Tracey E.....thanks for your input...what you say makes alot of sense...really appreciate it ..it has made me feel more positive