Knee Replacement

Hi guys,

It's been a long time since I have been on this website but I can really use your advice.

I was told a couple of days ago that I need a knee replacement on my left knee. I have a Medtronic Secura ICD. I plan on going to the Hospital for Special Surgery which is a specialty orthopedic hospital in New York.

I have so many questions. I know the doctor said they are going to use a ring to turn the ICD off during the surgery. Is that ok to do? What will keep my heart pacing? Without it, my pulse can drop to 39 or below.

I live in Staten Island, NY where my cardiologist and EP doctors. The orthopedic doctors in Staten Island are terrible which is why I want to go to the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated especially if you have had a knee replacement. I don't have a clue what to expect. All the reading on line is nothing compared to listening to someone with a pacemaker or ICD that has had knee replacement.

Thanks and best of luck to each and every one,

Lorraine

4 Comments

Knee replacement 3 months ago

by mkaz03 - 2014-06-27 03:06:42

Had my knee replacement April 1 and as far as I know nothing was done to the pacemaker - it just kept on ticking...

to mkaz03

by ltrivone - 2014-06-27 05:06:53

did they turn off the pacemaker during surgery?

Here you go

by Grateful Heart - 2014-06-28 11:06:17

I copy and pasted what would pertain to you and some has been edited for you:
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Comment posted by Grateful Heart on 2014-06-04 19:44.

But...now that you have an ICD there are precautions that should be taken before surgeries that will use electrocautery.....as in hip replacement surgeries.

Electrocautery uses electricity to control bleeding during surgery.

You want to speak to your Cardio and the Anesthesiologist and be sure the Anesthesiologist does not plan on "just using a magnet" for this procedure. The pacemaker rep (from your device company) will turn the defib function off for the surgery and you want him to check it after surgery to be sure the settings are back to where they were pre-surgery.

Below are 2 links for you to read, the first one is courtesy of donr:

www.cardiacengineering.com/pacemakers-wallace.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1420917/

Take a copy of your last report with you on the morning of the surgery for the latest settings on your device and give it to the rep. Yes, they can check what your settings are before surgery, but I've had mine changed to a different setting after a colonoscopy and was never told about it....I could feel it wasn't right.....and had to have it reset at the Cardios office.

Lastly, please don't let any of this frighten you, it is just to make you aware and to ensure your ICD is handled properly. Many of us have had surgeries post PM/ ICD. Too often the reps just want to put a magnet over it and that is not the proper or safe way when electrocautery is used.

You'll be fine. When is your knee replacement?

Grateful Heart
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To read donr's post, you can do a search at the top right of this page and search for hip replacement. This thread is the 16th one down, titled "ICD". I don't think Don would mind but I didn't want to copy and paste his comment here without Don's permission. There are other threads on replacements there as well.

Good luck to you, you'll be fine.

Grateful Heart

Hi Lorraine

by Grateful Heart - 2014-06-28 11:06:43


I used to live on SI. My Cousins and their families still do. I'm upstate now with my family for the past 25 years. I always enjoy going back to visit.

I have an ICD too and I had a hip replacement just a little over a year ago. I had it done at a hospital near my home and was very happy with all involved with the exception of the pacemaker technician. (I guess there's always one in the bunch).

There are precautions that should be taken when using electro-cautery if someone has a pacemaker or ICD. It's talked about here often lately. I will find the post for you and copy and paste the info on this thread.

HSS is a world-renowned hospital, as you know. My Cousin from SI also went to HSS to have her knee replaced for the same reason as you, Orthos on SI.

She doesn't have a pacemaker/ ICD device but She breezed through her knee recovery and then had her hip replaced and had a struggle with hip recovery, in fact, she is still recovering. Meanwhile, I breezed through my hip replacement, so this is just to show you that we are all different.

I'm gonna look for the other post now.

Grateful Heart

You know you're wired when...

You get your device tuned-up for hot dates.

Member Quotes

As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.