COUGH

Good morning all. I am now almost two weeks into my recovery from dual lead pacemaker for 2nd degree av block and bradycardia.

My question today is: can a cough loosen the leads. I started coughing a little yesterday, dry cough, and have an appointment with my internist tomorrow for checkup. I am hoping that by coughing I cannot loosen any leads at this time. I have been very careful with my arm and had pacemaker checked last Monday at the ER and everything was fine at that point.

Thanks for feedback.

9 Comments

ACE inhibitor

by pacemaker writer - 2010-02-16 08:02:58

Do you take an ACE inhibitor (it's a drug that might be named Enalapril or Captopril)? One side effect from that drug in a small number of people is a persistent dry cough.

ACE inhibitors tend to have brand names that end in "pril."

Of course, it could also be allergies or a cold or anything else!

not likely

by Tracey_E - 2010-02-16 10:02:06

I'm sure it doesn't feel good coughing when you're recuperating, but you're not going to dislodge a lead.

Thank you

by MAXI1439 - 2010-02-16 10:02:06

Thanks Cat for info. I am being extremely carefull with the arm until my first checkup on 2/24. Not taking any chances. I guess we are all a little more susceptible to infections the first few weeks after our surgery. Hope you are feeling better.

Cough

by cathtx - 2010-02-16 10:02:27

I have had my PM 3 weeks today and the day I left the hospital I developed a violent cough! I had such a bad allergy/sinus infection...I was coughing hard, sneezing and blowing my nose ALOT!!! It was awful but my leads stayed in place! I was worried too...I think you will be fine. Just be careful with the arm on the operative side, I think that is the bigger deal in all of this. I hope you feel better soon.
Cat

Same here

by paulb - 2010-02-16 10:02:28

I have had a sinus infection for nearly three weeks now and coughing since a day or so before my PM surgery. It has been 6 days since my surgery and i have had a lot of pain. Every time i cough it really hurts the PM site. I was wondering about the same thing- coughing loosening lead. I have appt today at 11:30am so i will ask the medtronic nurse.

Lisinopril

by Gonnie - 2010-02-16 11:02:28

caused a dry hacking cough for me. Make sure you tell your doc about your cough.It may take a med change as it did for me. Good luck!

Cough with dislodgement

by jvaltos - 2010-02-16 11:02:31

I have never seen it happen, but never say never. The leads are typically sutured into the muscle, so as long as that was done correctly, then the leads shouldn't move much.

As far as dislodgement, the helix (the screw on the end on the lead if you have active fixation leads) goes into the muscle of the heart. The typical rate of dislodgement is around 1-3% depending on your sources.

It would be unlikely to have the lead come out with coughing.

JV

hiccups

by Hot Heart - 2010-02-18 03:02:23

I had a terrible chest infection not long after getting my pm and asked my doc the very same thing. He said coughing was ok. He did say however, that if I ever got a bad dose of hiccups that didnt go away to give the hosp a call, and me................idiot that i sometimes am................ didnt think to ask why!!!

Hiccups

by pacemaker writer - 2010-02-20 12:02:49

Hiccups MAY be a symptom of a "diaphragmatic stimulation." Sometimes a lead placed too close to the diaphragm (which is located right under the lungs) winds up stimulating the diaphragm and this can cause hiccups.

This is very, very rare but that's probably why the doc asked about it.

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