Home from the hospital today

Good evening everyone.  I am a brand new pacemaker receipient.  I've had been having intermittent dizzie spells that would last a second or 2 for the past several months. Most days I would have none but some I would have 3-4 episodes.  Finally I had my wife check my pulse during/after an episode and it was at 50 then jumped back up to the 70's. She was a cardiac nurse so we decided to go to the ER just to check. We were about to be discharged with a referral to follow up with a cardiologist when I braided down to 35 BPM so they admitted me. After several EKG's, Echo and MRI they determined that my heart is very healthiy but I have a 3rd degree block of unknown cause (I am a 58 year old male) so pacemaker for me.  They installed the pacemaker on Tuesday and then on Wednesday morning I had another episode (heart rate down to 30 BPM). After an interrogation it was determined that the av lead lost its contact with the heart so back into the OR for attempt 2.  A different Dr (but in the same EP group) did the second operation and this time all is good, good connection and when I have my episodes it paces me so I don't feel the effects of them (dizzie spells).  Today on discharge the first EP Dr came in to talk to me and see how I was doing.  He said something that was very alarming to me.  He told me that the Dr during the second attempt discovered the av lead didn't just loose connection to my heart but fell out because the lead was actually faulty (issue with the screw) so he had replaced the lead during the second operation.  Sorry for the long rambling but I was curious if others have had similar type of issues and although I am grateful for what I hope will return my life to normal I am a little upset. I endured (and more than likely will be charged) for a second surgery and 2 additional days in the CCU.  Plus my recovery will be a little longer and there was a lot more pain since they had to pull out the pacemaker from my chest and replace it after the lead was removed and replaced. What are your all thoughts on this? 

5 Comments

sorry for what you went though

by new to pace.... - 2024-06-07 05:15:27

if you would fill in your bio, model, make ,your location will help us sometimes with our aswers to your query.

new to pace

Welcome

by Xtrabeat - 2024-06-07 05:20:06

Hi - I am sorry to hear you had these problems - I am sure others more experienced than I will comment but I think faulty leads are  a known complication although not very common. In your case it ws recognised quickly and put right even though it meant you had an additional procedure and uncomfortable time in hospital. It will take a few weeks for everything to settle down. 

I am 6 months down the line from my PM and still on a fairly steep learning curve. I am sure you will have lots of further questions  and this site is an invaluable source of information and reassurance. Good luck. 

Extraordinary

by piglet22 - 2024-06-07 06:26:19

Pacemakers and other medical devices are highly engineered.

I often watch programmes on complex operations like straightening spines and you can see that everything used including specialised tools are of the highest quality.

Components are graded by use and medical and scientific are in the grades with nuclear and military.

A pacemaker has only one or two mechanical parts to get right and those are the connectors.

I've never seen or handled one, but given the job it has to do and where it does it, it's going to take more skill and and care to fit than plugging a lead into a phone.

The specialist fitting devices would or should have been thoroughly trained.

I guess it's one of those things but should never happen.

I related a story here of a surgeon remembering on his way home that he had forgotten to remove a plastic bag and a section of bowel from a patient he operated on during the day.

It's the human element.

People get things wrong. They might be brilliant surgeons, but ask them to put a shelf up?

Ugh

by Lavender - 2024-06-08 19:50:34

How disappointing to have that happen.  I have never heard of that but these rare things can occur.  I am a bit over three years into a CRT-P device. I'm discouraged that one lead isn't optimally placed and now requires more voltage to work. Like you, I was fainting prior to getting the pacemaker. I know the EP told me right after surgery that he had trouble placing one lead. My surgery took an extra hour. I wish it had been fixed right then instead of now waiting til my battery wears down to have it replaced/repositioned. 

Complications can arise

by RickBT - 2024-06-10 21:40:25

Jon, I had a sudden 100% block which caused me to be in medical crisis. See my bio for my full story. They installed an emergency pacemaker through my groin and worked for 12 hours to get me stable. 3 days later I had a permanent pacemaker installed. After a week in  ICU I was discharged and then a week later I was rushed back in medical crisis going into shock, with a pericardial effusion in which they had to put a tube in my heart to drain the liquid. These procedures caused severe trauma to my heart and the first couple of months have been very rough. But, I am alive because of them. It's been five months and I am still taking it easy and am still in recovery. Each person's experience is different, sometimes the procedures don't go perfectly, but doctors are there to save you and I am grateful for their efforts. Rick

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