Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Rate Response Settings are?

Hello,

I have a Medtronic Azure S DR MRI dual-lead pacemaker.

Rate Response was recently turned on, and I understand in general how it works.  Movement triggers it, it will likely have to be tweaked some more, etc.

What I'm trying to get an understanding of is - can these things below each be adjusted individually (by my EP of course)?  And if so, by how much?

  1. Sensitivity - how much movement it takes to trigger rate/pacing up?  Settings are L, M...

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Volts Standards for PM wire in Atrium and Ventricular

Q1 - On Medtronic PM for about 2 months.  All going well and feel it is great to help me manage heart beat a lot better.  Doc says I have volt issue with my Ventricular (V) wire - seems it is set at 1.7 volts and Atrium (A) is set at 0.5 volts.  Doc says Ventricular should be at 0.5 volts. He has put me on significant restrictions until this gets resolved.  Looked up some AI stuff and it indicated 1.7 can be normal for Ventricular + or - simply because the V muscle is...

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ICD review yesterday

Yesterday I had another ICD review in hospital (see my previous post 23rdJune ICD & AF). It was five weeks since the last review and I have been feeling well since the DDIR had been adjusted last time. I had a 5 lead ECG and the Bluetooth device place over my ICD. The two EPs were pleased that I had been well since the DDIR had been turned on last time, this is set at 55 bpm which is the same as my base setting and will it will not track the atria when it goes higher than that. This seems...

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Outsourced PM Check "Visit" Report Finally Came In The Mail

As I previously posted, I was scheduled for a Rhythm Management Group remote "visit" (no visit) on June 13.  The 7/2/24 chart report had no information. PM Clinic said that it means all is good. I requested the full report. It finally came in the mail today, sent from my local PM clinic.  I am happy all is well.  But it leaves me with many unanswered questions.  Besides name, rank and serial number, this is all that is on the single page:

TINY LINE GRAPHS&n...

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My heart is working on its own ~5 months after receiving pacemaker

This is my first post on the site and first time sharing my experience online. Thanks for having me, I can definitely see this community being a valuable resource moving forward.

A little background on me: 

I'm a 33 year old man. I've never had any kind of serious health issues, I live an active lifestyle, I'm not overweight, and never considered my health to be of any concern.

A few months ago, in the early hours of 2/13, I was laying down to go to sle...

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3 Month Check-up Results!

Short version -   Great check-up!  All systems functioning and no problems identified.  Settings adjusted to allow for exercise and my naturally lower nighttime heart rate.  Have my first echo next week along with lipids panel to see if any reverse remodeling has started and to see if my beta blocker holiday has had any benefit.  (more detailed version below)

Detailed Version:   Just had my 3 month post-implant check-u...

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Check up

It's been a little over a year since having to have as an emergency a Boston Scientific pacemaker . No prior issues I am 67 yrs with an active lifestyle. I am scheduled for a Echocardiagram as a routine check up in September. I had frozen shoulder for many months and physical therapy has helped. Suffered from anxiety in results of all this , now that's 90percent behind me. I was put on 25 mg of Metropol 6 months ago . I walk daily and stay active most of the day. Wandering what questi...

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3 Month Upload Report - Questions Abound!

I see my Cardiologist next Tuesday but with the bevvy of street savvy folks on this site, why wait!  

So I've got all 50 page of the report that were dropped into my EMR.  Bottom line seems to be that the pacemaker is functioning just fine and has about 11.5 years of life.  All nice!  However, I'm trying to decode of the summaries and want to know if I'm on the right track.

Background: Metronic Azure placed for CAP secondary to a LBBB.  No othe...

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Remote vs. In Clinic PM Evaluation

Is remote monitoring a better option than peridic monitoring in Dr.'s office?

I have a Medtroncs PM, implanted at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore in July 2022. They sent me home with a remote monitor and a quarterly PM evaluation report posts to my medical record. Unfortunately, my local cardiologist (the one that referred be for a TAVR and pacemaker) is not in the Hopkins network and has no interest in reading/discussing the Hopkins  quarterly evaluation reports; instead,...

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Biotronik settings and maybe a Consultation ...

I had a Biotronik Entira 8 DR fitted in August 2023 to treat complete heart block.

In respect of the symptoms I was cured instanty.  But I am a very active 63 year old and have struggled to get my fitness back.

Ahead of my first check-up in late 2023 and at the suggestion of someone on this forum ("Penguin") I contacted Biotronik, and the helpful Tech Director called me and suggested having CLS enabled.

I'm not sure if this improved things.  My heart...

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Cyclist & active people read

Hi all

I have always been 100% paced in my ventricle yet my atrium has been only about 30% paced. That recently changed to 71% and had been affecting my activity level and endurance when working out in the gym and hiking.
I went in for rate response to be turned on and after a month noticed no changes.

 

long story short the Medtronic rep recently changed my settings completely and it's been a huge help in my active lifestyle!

she told me she doesn't...

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Automatic Remote Home Monitoring (e.g. Merlin) Outsourced

I posted before about being informed that Rhythm Management Group in Washington D.C. or Maryland taking over control of my Merlin remote monitor check ups.  Here's what happened. I received an "appointment" reminder for a remote PM check at another hospital's cardiac department. I called my PM clinic, they said I don't do anything, they automatically get it from the Merlin.  Yesterday I  got a MyChart notification for an "After Visit Summary...

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PM tested without consent

Hi Everyone,

I had a new Azure dual lead PM placed last week replacing a single lead after I developed 2-1 AV block.

When the Medtronic rep came to my hospital room to test the PM, I asked her not to do anything without telling me. When my atrial lead is tested, I'm symptomatic of dizziness, chest pain and sometimes shortness of breath. They just tested it the day before so I asked that the atrial lead not be tested. She said she would only test the LBBPM lead. 

I w...

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ICD Review

I saw my cardiologist last week who did an ECG and said I was in AF and I should have the Rate Response turned off and put on the list for an AV Node ablation (see my post 18th June AV node ablation). This week I had my ICD review. The ECG and the device historic data said I was only in AF once in the last three months and not last week. This is not what the cardiologist had said. The EP doing the review said I was experiencing tachy-brady. This would explain my heart rate frequently going fr...

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Lower Settings

Hi All,

New member, but have read some stuff on here while researching. Very helpful!

I got my Medtronic Azure XT in September. I have second degree heart block that advanced to 3rd degree. Thankfully was in the hospital for a different condition when that happened and had CPR done.

My lower limit is set at 50 right now. At the beginning I wasn't really noticing when my heartbeat is lower, but lately I have been feeling like I did before the pacemaker when I get around 6...

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DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO READ THEIR PACEMAKER REPORTS

I get my pacemaker interrogatories every 3 months, but I don't know how to read them. Basically I want to learn how often i use the pacemaker in the course of a day. I have bradycardia and don't need the pacemaker full time but would like to have an idea how often it is used and try to make improvements on that. 

Thank you to anyone who can tell me how to read a report to that effect.

 

Thanks

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Pacemaker rate too low?

Hello,

I have had my pacemaker since August, 2020 after suffering complete heart block.

i have severe fatigue and tiredness all the time.

Tge pacemaker is set at 60 BPM, but prior to my complete heart block, my resting pulse was pretty high, like 85-93.

i am going to talk to my cardiologist, but do you think if they raise the setting on my pacemaker to 70 or even 75+ it will help alleviate my severe fatigue?

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Heart rate

Had a av node ablation with a Micra pacemaker, no leads, April 3rd. They set my bpm at 80 then 3 weeks later to 70 bpm then a week and a half ago down to 60 bpm. I am having major energy issues but I think I felt better with the 70 bpm. Has anyone else had to have their rate raised. Thank you for any advice. 

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Pacemaker

Hi all I had my pacemaker implanted in February 2021 after being diagnosed with complete heart block, the electrical system of my heart wasn't working as it was supposed to the AV Node wasn't picking up the signal from the SA Node to tell it it's your turn to do your thing, all checkups have been good until my most recent.

My yearly checkups with the clinic has shown my pacemaker usage around 4 to 5 percent but my recent checkup shows 100% usage in the bottom chambers of the...

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Clinic follow up - DDR or VVI?

Following on from my recent thread about settings, I have now had my out-patient visit and discussed in detail with the cardiologist my issues. I am in a cleft stick - either to leave my settings as they are (because changing them runs the risk of further  PMT) or revert to VVI to act of a backstop if my rate falls to below 40. On the current settings with sensed/paced AV delay of 225msec and similar Post Ventricular Atrial blanking I am mostly fine but on exercise this only allows ...

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You know you're wired when...

You fondly named your implanted buddy.

Member Quotes

I am just grateful to God that I lived long enough to have my ICD put in. So many people are not as lucky as us; even though we sometimes don't feel lucky.