Have a few questions about the pacemaker results.

Hello,

My mother got her pacemaker a year ago and at the regular checkup the doctor didn't really put any effort in explaining what the values the pacemaker gave mean. I was wondering what does it mean if AP-VS percentage is high?

5 Comments

Battery Life

by Possum Larry - 2009-10-09 03:10:02

The only real effect of a high pacing percentage is that as a general rule the more pacing the shorter the battery life.

My first PM paced about 12% and the battery lasted ten years. My new PM implanted last week is pacing 41% if this continues I am informed that the battery life will be about five years.

Pacing percentages vary over time and one week with my new PM does not provide enough data to accurately conclude approximate batttery life. That is why I said "if this continues".

numbers

by Tracey_E - 2009-10-09 03:10:36

AP is atrial pacing. VS is ventricular sensing. P is the percentage of time she is pacing, S is the percentage of time the pm is just monitoring so it sounds like she mostly paces atrial and the ventricular lead just watches.

The numbers are really not that important. Some pace <1% of the time, some pace 100%. There is no one "good" number or average, we're all different. The important thing is the pm is there for us when we need it, whether that's every beat or once a week.

no important meaning?

by acidburn0 - 2009-10-09 03:10:46

Thank you for the quick answer. I know what AP-VS means but i thought they were important and showed something worth mentioning. From what you told me they aren't any worthy information ?

value

by Tracey_E - 2009-10-09 04:10:34

It's not that the numbers are meaningless, it tells them how much she's using the pm. They look at trends over time and if she's using it consistently with her diagnosis (ex, I have 3rd degree block, so they expect me to pace 100%). You just can't say if a number is good or bad because there is no one answer like when they test cholesterol you know what level is too high and what's considered good. It's more like how tall you are, they always write it in our charts but it doesn't matter if you're tall or short.

Larry is partially correct. Usage has some effect on battery life, but overall settings, extra features she may or may not be using and safety margins have a larger effect on battery life. My first pm had a battery estimated to last 4-5 years. I pace 100% of the time but it lasted me 7 years. I am very stable in my usage so they were able to turn off a lot of the bells and whistles I didn't need, and shrink my safety margins to make the battery last longer.

Larry, they often start a new pm with high safety margins and they may be trying out some cool new gadgets your old one didn't have. As you have it a while longer and they fine tune it , you'll probably find that your expected life gets longer. Given the change in the amount you're pacing, it sounds like they're trying new settings to help your heart beat more efficiently.

Thanks

by acidburn0 - 2009-10-09 05:10:05

Thanks for the clarification. My mom wasn't feeling very well after the last checkup / adjustment that was made today and i started to check the numbers even if the doc just said a rhetorical "it's fine".

You know you're wired when...

You have a new body part.

Member Quotes

Sometimes a device must be tuned a few times before it is right. My cardiologist said it is like fine tuning a car.