Experience with Pacemaker/Defibrillator

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davidswife

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
179
Location
Mahwah, NJ
David will be getting a Medtronic Concerto CRT-D pacemaker/defibrillator tomorrow morning. Just curious how many of you have a pacemaker/defibrillator and what your experiences have been with it.

Thanks!
Nadine
 
A friend of the family has a pacemaker/defib combination. It has saved his life a couple of times. It does pack a whollop when the defibrillator goes off, but that is what it is supposed to do because your heart is in a dangerous rhythm.

My husband had a mundane "brady" pacemaker (for slow heart rates, bradycardia). His worked wonderfully and prevented him from fainting from a slow heart rate.

They are life-saving devices.
 
Hi Nadine,

I got a St. Jude pacemaker about 3 years ago. Other than the surgeon messing up the installation and having to go back the next day to have it pulled and reinsterted, no issues. Pacemaker is pacing the bottom about 90% of the time and 5-10% on top.

Insurance sent me a phone checker which i think is standard procedure anymore. Basically a small box with 2 wires and a cradle. I get a call from Phillips Cardiac monthly, I put 2 sticky contacts on my chest attach the leads and set the phone on the cradle and they can check the unit remotely. If they need or want to make a change to the unit you have to go in (usually to your cardiologist) and one of the reps from Medtronics in your case can use a laptop type system they have to change the inputs...its pretty slick. It also keeps track of BPM, etc.

Interesting story, I didnt know that it was keeping track of all the data and went in for my 1st check at 3 months. Erica (funny i know the St. Jude reps name) ask's what I was doing on Dec, 19. I had to think about it and remembered I was filling dirt around the house. I asked her why she was asking and she said "I see an elevated heart rate for about an hour and a half." I told her what I had been doing and said the 20 and 21st should be the same because I did it 3 days in a row. She checked and said "yep I see it." Then me being...well me, I told her if she saw any elevated heart rates in the late evening she shouldn't ask. She smirked back at me and said "I wasn't going to, besides they are for short durations anyway." Heh, I told her that wasn't funny. :p

With regard to the Defib, I've heard from others reiterating what Nancy said. When the defib goes off you know it but I have no personal experience with that.

Not sure what the difference is power consumption between a pacer and a defib but last visit to the rep I was told I still had about 8 years battery life on mine. Was told to expect 6-10 years before the battery had to be change (in and out surgery same day) and the leads get replaced about every 10-15 years but that is just an estimate.

Post op I had my arm in a sling for 3 or 5 days (cant remember) because they dont want you moving your arm about and was not supposed to raise my arm over my head for 90 days (it might have been not to lift my arm over my head for 30 day and no weight lifting at the gym for 90 days, I can't remember...its been a while). They said this is to give your body time to build scar tissue up around the leads to minimize the chance of them disconnecting.

Microwaves are not an issue for pacers anymore but no more MRI's and now everyone will stare at David when you go through airport security because he's not allowed to go through the metal detectors. He'll need to tell security he has a pacer and they will pat him down. Magnetic fields interfere with/disable the pacer while you are in them which is the reason for the pat down, not because it will set the alarm off (no wand detectors either). I know it won't set off the alarm because...err...well, I dont tell security anymore and just go through. I had missed a few flights over the years and about 15 months ago it was late friday afternoon, last flight from Mcallen, TX to DFW and I got hung up on the border and was running behind. I took a shot, didnt tell security and got through with setting off the alarm. Next Cardiologist appointment, I asked about it and he didnt say it was okay but didn't really have a huge issue with it since I dont use mine all the time but said its not recommended amd if I was gonna do it to get through it quckly. Still haven't set off an alarm , domestically or internationally.

Thats all I can think of. If you have any questions let me know.

Matt
 
Hey Nadine! My mom's experiences are like Matts...esp the airport stuff! She always has to go through the third degree at the airport with a hand wand instead of the metal detector. She also has the home monitor/phone checker too. My mom did have a lead break, but it had been on the recall list. They threaded a new lead next to the old one, and capped off the broken one. She has had hers almost 3 years, and other than the lead deal-it has been very beneficial for her. Best wishes to you and David:) Deb
 
The biggest pain is getting dressed that first month, not being able to lift your elbow above shoulder level. And it is pretty uncomfortable for about a week, so I did not work. Then I worked from home the second week after surgery 'cause I have a long drive. I wasn't allowed to run agility for a month, because of the need to keep the device pretty immobile, no bouncing, while it healed.

I'm 100% pacemaker dependent, and subject to v-tach, but with the sotolol, I've never had the defib go off in the 20 months I've had it.

I have a friend whose defib went off on him a few times unnecessarily, and needed adjustment. It went off when he was singing in the church choir, and when he got excited about a football game. He says it starts getting warm/hot before it fires, so that's something to look out for at first, if David's the volatile type. It may indicate he needs a setting adjusted :D

I do go through the security pat down at the airport. I just schedule for it as necessary. At jury duty, though, they just waived me through, without even ID. How's that for a lack of security???
 
i have a pacemaker also. there are certain things you can't do. like get an m.r.i and security wands are a no no. where mine is sitting if i lean against a high tote at work it will be uncomfortable but i doesn't hurt. the only time that it is restrictive is right after they put it in. if it is done right after surgery though you have restrictions from that also so you don't really notice much except put your arm above your head which you are not allowed to do. except for feeling it every once in a while at work and in the shower i don't even know it's there.
 
Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Hey Everyone!

Thanks so much for all of the really helpful info. I am in David's hospital room right now waiting for him to come back up. The cardiologist finished implanting the device about a half hour ago. They finally got this computer on his TV working today so I will be able to share your posts with him today when he is up to it.

Nadine
 
Nadine, I have a pacemaker/defibrillator. I started out with just a pacemaker and during one of the interrogations of it, the doc saw that I was having ventricular tachycardia. They took out the pacer and put in a pacer/defibrillator combination. I've had it now for 4 years. I have never had the BIG jolt but it's nice to know that it's there if I need it. Mine is a Medtronic. Defibrillators give small jolts to start with that you don't usually feel and sometimes this is all that is needed to get the heart back into rhythm. I get mine checked every three months via telephone and go into the cardiologist's office once a year for a full interrogation. My battery is half gone after four years. I'm 100% pacemaker dependent and that runs it down slowly but the tech told me that it's the big jolts that drain the battery the most. Tell David we're thinking of him. After a while, he won't even think about having this device in his chest. LINDA
 
I have a pacemaker without defibrillator and I don't like it, but its not much of a bother. I have heard that the defibrillators can give a pretty good jolt. You might ask the pacemaker rep what the voltage is on your defibrillator for reference. I have no problem going through metal detectors - I go through them quite often and in two years the pacemaker has only set one off. The defibrillator versions may have more metal in them though and so might be more prone to set off the detectors. There is a forum for pacemaker folks at www.pacemakerclub.com Has lots of friendly folks and useful info. Good luck.
 
I have the Concerto! Freakiest thing to me is that they can check me "wirelessly" now. I've had a pacemaker since I was 7, so I've seen the technology evolve. I've never had the defib portion go off, so I can't speak to that, but I've been 100% dependent in the ventricles for a very long time. I did have a lead break (atrial) a year ago and the ICD is the one that told me! It started beeping at me every day at 10 AM until I finally realized where it was coming from and called the doc. Had I had my Carelink (phone check machine) hooked up it would have automatically sent the message to my doc's office. When it couldn't connect to the Carelink it started "yelling" at me. ;)

Good luck to David (and to you)! Let me know if you have specific questions.
 
Man - you guys are all wired up aren't you? High tech stuff. Amazing to me as I am - completely ignorant on this topic. Can you download ring tones too? :):):cool:

Here's hoping this amazing device will be the answer to all of David's problems and he'll be home before you know it.

Rhena
 
I have the Concerto also along with carelink. Mine fired last year on the 4th of July 2 times. I had gone into V-tack and it saved my life. 6 weeks later I had my valve replaced. It hasnt fired since. I am paced 85% of the time. It is difficult to get use to at first but it becomes part of you. Mine is named Sparky. There is a great forum much like this one that can help him along the way. Icd support group.
Best of luck !
 
Man - you guys are all wired up aren't you? High tech stuff. Amazing to me as I am - completely ignorant on this topic. Can you download ring tones too? :):):cool:

You can! But there is a limited selection...all tones have to contain the word "heart" in the title. Word to the wise, don't go into a country bar with it set to "Achy Breaky Heart"...an a$$ kicking might ensue. Who knew cowboys hated Billy Ray Cyrus so much?:eek:
 
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