Most Recent Messages in Batteries & Leads

Arm usage while having a pm.

I had a pm put in in May 2017. Im curios whether using a pull rope starter on my power washer is something to worry about since it has been a year since pm implant. Can I still damage or cause any problem with the leads after this 1 year of implantation? Thanks for your input...

Read More...

Medicare Elective Replacement Zone

Anyone here have first-hand experience regarding the what, where, and other things regarding the replacement of their PM or battery and the time frame and conditions and song and dances they had to perform to meet Medicare's guidelines?  My device clinic nurse has stated that when the battery power falls to a certain number, the device will produce a sound similar to a backing garbage truck at 8AM every morning. 

--Dave--

Read More...

4th Pacemaker Soon...leads are 21 years old

I received my first pacemaker in 1996.   I have had two replacemtns and it appears i am headed for PM number 4.   I have not had problems with anything thus far except now one or more of the leads is defective.

I have an appointment on 20 September 2018 at the pacing clinic and immediately following I will see my cardiologist to discuss "our" plan.

I am 73 so I am not interested in taking any more risk than necessary.  In other words,, if leads r...

Read More...

Doctors different opinions

New EP just recommending battery and lead replacement. Says due to recalled wires, noise. Former ep said surgery too dangerous for my husband, due to scar tissue, 10-15% ej. He's 65, had two ablations, 7 heart attacks, quadruple bypass, 8 stents. I'm worried. Old ep retired. Maybe I'm just not sure of the new one yet, or maybe old ep was putting surgery off cause husband died on table 3 previous times? Advice please

Read More...

Anyone get "poking" sensation where lead attaches to heart?

I have a Medtronic single lead ICD which was implanted January 2017.  From day one it has given me strange sensations but doctors wrote it off as "healing".  In March of 2017 I contacted medtronic and told them that I was getting poking sensations at 12:30am every day.  After a few minutes they came back and told me it was probably the device recalibration and "we hear that alot".  They also told me to contact my EP to have it turned off, which I did.&n...

Read More...

Pacemaker Batteries

Hi , I went for a check up on 2017 to my MD at Mount Sinai Hospital Miami , after calling a representative of St Judes to check my batteries , and after reading the report , he recommended not to replace the batteries .

To be very honest , i feel great , however , after seeing a documentarie in Netflix on Lithium batteries , now i'm concern about the batteries to explode inside of me .

Shoud to have it remove ?, not Leads , but Batteries , Pacemaker im...

Read More...

Simple arm restrictor

Just had PM implanted and woke up in middle of night with my arm raised too high over my shoulder. Had it checked out next day and all was still good with the PM.

To insure I didnt do that again I just took a length of narrow string and fashioned a 4 ft length consisting of one small loop that fits over my left hand and one larger loop that goes over my left thigh. This totally prevents me from raising that arm or elbow over my left shoulder while being totally comfortable while sleepin...

Read More...

Pacemaker lead - ruptured within 12 months

Dear All

I had PM operation May 26 2017 - never really felt well. Found out in April the lead was ruputured and thus had operation May 22 to replace.  I have been charged for second operation - told no recourse as I signed a form and also legally. First of all, has  anyone else gone through this? Secondly, is this right that we have no recourse? 

Thank you.

 

Read More...

3rd surgery since May 7

I was implanted with my first Pacemaker on May 7, 2018.  After 7 weeks, they discovered my leads came out, so June 21, I was back in for surgery to attach the leads.  I went back 7 days later at which time I was x-rayed and the leads were once again out!!!  I had surgery yet again yesterday, June 29 at which time the leads were taken out and replaced.  My Dr said in his 35 years this hadn't happened and the rep from St Judes was in the operating room and said she has b...

Read More...

Battery Replacement

 I'll be in MN this coming September to visit Son and family.  This time frame also jives with when my PM battery will be near it's EOL. - It's a Medtronic VIVA XT CRT-D.  I hear it announces its battery want (with  beeping  like a backing garbage truck) at 8AM every morning.  I MAY be snooping into having the battery/pm replacement performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochestor, MN.

Anyone here have an experience with the EP department at Mayo in MN...

Read More...

Sedation

Hello,

I read most of the posts on here but don’t post a whole lot. I had My pacemaker battery replaced yesterday. I had a very bad reaction to the awake sedation they give you during my ablation years ago so for the first pacemaker insertion I was awake with just a local. They did it under the muscle and when they cut through the muscle it felt like they were cutting bone. It was awful. Anyway this time they didn’t want to give me that sedation because of the reac...

Read More...

replacement battery

what type of symptoms would one have if their device replacement leads were dislodged or it wasn't working properly.

 

Read More...

Icd lead dislodged

Going in tomorrow after 9 days icd lead detached. No symptoms but tired.  What can I expect now

Read More...

Replacing pacemaker

Could someone tell me what is involved in replacing the unit when the battery is done?  I assume there is scar tissue around the original unit.  Is it typically done with a local anesthetic?  Is it painful or less than the original placement?  Does it go in the same place as the original?  Are there restrictions afterwards for a while?  Can I return to work the same day?

Any information would be helpful.  

Read More...

Lead to vein interface

Hi Everyone,

I am 44 years old and scheduled on Wednesday for a Biventricular pacemaker for cardiac resynchronization. I am very nervous about this upcoming procedure and keep coming up with questions in my mind. Does anyone know how the lead interfaces with the vein that they place it in? How does the vein seal around the lead? I assume it’s a hole in the blood vessel with a wire sticking thru it. With all the pressure building up in the blood vessel, how does the vein seal off a...

Read More...

Battery life span

He everyone. I was just wondering since I am 100% paced ( Medtronic biventricular pacemaker,crt) about how long can I expect the battery to last. Implant saute was Aprin25th 2018. I know it all depends on a lot of things but can anyone here who is 100 paced( biventricle) tell me how long their battery works before needing replacement. Just trying to get some input as my EP says up to 7 years but I find this hard to believe since I am 100% paced. Thank you.

Read More...

How many replacements can I have?

Hello All, 

I have been a pacemaker dependent patient for the last 20+ years. I have had several battery replacements in the original location. During this last replacement I got infected and spent 24 days in the hospital. Now I have the pacemaker on the opposite side of my heart with a defibrillator. Could possibly be coming up for my next battery changed within the next few years. This was done on November 2012. 

Recently was asked to get an echocardiogram done bu...

Read More...

Low stamina: dead battery

My EnRhythm Medtronic battery died a few weeks ago and I am running on my backup until 5/4 when I will get it replaced.  I have very little stamina and I am wondering if it is my "situation" with the pacemaker?  EP said I had no exercise restrictions until the surgery.

Read More...

New* EOL and these palps

Hey y'all! So I have a boston scientific pm.. I'm at EOL. 😒 it's happened quicker than expected (to me) and I wasnt ready for the size effects. I am 70% paced top chamber & on demand bottom.. The palps SUCK!

History... 7 years implanted, in November i was told 6-9 months, at 6 mo (for diminishing) start coming monthly.. Well I'm 5 months in and can barely walk room to room with out heaviness and crazy thumping in my chest. The last 2 weeks it's been worse each da...

Read More...

Lead Extraction/New Pacemaker

Had a dual chamber PM with venticle lead in coronary sinus vein next to left ventricle for complete heart block. Didn't go in right ventricle as I had tricuspid valve repair in 2014 and didn't want to risk lead screwing up the repaired valve which is doing fine at this point. 

Last few months my PVC's have increased significantly and found out last week the PM lead wasn't capturing.  This was also causing a drop in left ventricle ejection fraction. They cut up...

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

Titanium is your favorite metal.

Member Quotes

My pacemaker is intact and working great.