a crack in a lead

Hi I just had my 2nd pm put in last Friday. the doctor said one lead had a crack and he fixed it with silicone. Did anyone else have this occur. If so , did the lead have to be replaced before the pm. How lone before you needed it to be replaced. I was upset the doctor did just replace it. any info will help
thanks
patty

4 Comments

leads

by Tracey_E - 2008-09-15 08:09:04

If the leads are functioning, they try to leave them in forever.

My guess is the lead itself is ok and just the insulation around it had the crack. The leads have several layers of insulation. I have a lead that's had a rupture in the insulation for years now. It works fine, but it drains the battery faster than usual. I'll get it fixed eventually but it'll be done the same time as my next battery replacement, no need for an extra surgery. I'm just guessing, but it sounds like you had something similar but he was able to fix it. They would have tested the lead before they closed you up. If it hadn't been working, they would have put in new ones immediately. I wouldn't worry about it!

thanks for the info

by dual pacer - 2008-09-15 10:09:59

TraceyE, how long has your pm been in for ? do you know how much longer you have on it. They said this one should last 7-10 years. I am fully depended on it. That is why I was coccerned about the lead.

thanks

patty

long time!

by Tracey_E - 2008-09-15 11:09:09

I got my first pm in 1993, had replacements in 2000 and 2005. I've got about another year left on this one. The lead went bad in 2003, that's why the battery life has been shorter than it should be. I chose not to have the bad lead replaced last time they changed out the battery, they left it up to me since the only downside is the short battery life. Battery replacements are really easy so I wasn't concerned about it not lasting as long as it should. I don't have a simple under-the-clavicle placement, mine is buried under the breast and I have leads all over the place so I was (am!) procrastinating messing with it.

I'm fully dependent, also. I pace more than 99% of the time ventricle and my underlying rate (if you turn it off) is under 30.

They test the leads every time they do a check! No need to be concerned about it. If the silicone doesn't hold for some reason (not likely!!!), they will be able to tell when they check it and they can usually program around it to get you through until your next battery change.

In my case, they caught the bad lead on a routine check. Since the insulation was compromised, they turned up the voltage (hence the shorter battery life) to compensate. Picture opening the window and running the air conditioner- it's still cooling but it runs a lot harder to get the job done. There is always the possibility my bad lead will rupture the rest of the way and have to be replaced quickly, but it seems to be very stable and I don't lose sleep over it. My technician has another patient who's had the same problem for 15 yrs now and she's still stable, like me choosing to live with it rather than replace the leads.

battery life

by Tracey_E - 2008-09-15 11:09:47

If you're curious, they can tell you projected battery life every time you go for a check. It's right there on the report they print out each time.

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