WHOA !

Well now, I have had my second pacer since January, 2010.  I was in an accident March, 2012.  The seatbelt smashed one of my leads.  I just found out after my arm started jerking like crazy and I couldn’t catch my breath for the last several weeks. It is going to be complicated and I will be hospitalized for two days.

I want to make everyone aware that this can certainly happen and the hospital I was taken to DID NOT have a pacemaker clinic.  So, make sure if this happens to you please insist that you go to a facility that can check your pacer.

thanx, janet

5 Comments

yikes

by Tracey_E - 2012-06-30 09:06:41

How scary! I have never heard of anyone hurting a lead in an accident.

Two words- medical alert! If we have a medical alert on, they immediately know to transport us to a hospital that can monitor a pm. I didn't wear one for years until a member here who's a paramedic told me that, now I'm diligent about it. If we aren't conscious and we need emergency surgery, this can be life and death if we have to be transported to a second facility. Better to wear the alert and go to the right place the first time.

I have a new lead added on top of my original leads. They did a venogram first to see how much room I had. Easiest thing though is to remove the old one if it's still possible. My old one was 15 yrs old so it was not easy in my case, choices were add on top or laser removal.

Feel better! Prayers your new lead goes in easily.

Jim, many of us here have been in accidents and the pm/leads were fine.

WHOA

by phunny1 - 2012-06-30 09:06:50

thanx 4 asking.
it was a head on collision and we were sitting at a cross street. my pacer is ok, it's one of the leads which got crushed. i did not know until now. it's more complicated since the lead is attached with a little 'anchor' and not a screw. they are going to try and leave the old wire in and thread a new one thru the same area possibly useing a sheathe.
what a pain in the butt. guess i'll just wait and c.
i think it would be wise to advise all to wear or put some kind of a towel or cusion over the pacer area.
thanx, janet

whoa

by phunny1 - 2012-06-30 11:06:03

thanx all for your concern. i would appreciate your prayers. janet

Thanks for your message

by jimkirschvink - 2012-06-30 12:06:42

I've been trying for years to figure out what happens when you get in a car wreck and the seat belt tweaks your pacer. How bad a wreck was it? Were you doing really fast?

Don't bet on EMT's checking for an Alert

by donr - 2012-07-01 08:07:27

I was in a very serious T-Bone collision. Took the door post into right side. Broke 8-12 ribs, collarbone, gave me a small aneurysm in the aorta, collapsed my right lower lobe of my lungs, lacerated my liver. My head went through the passenger door's window. They thought I had a concussion & broken neck.

NO ONE EVER searched for a med alert tag. I wear one around my neck that says "Pacemaker Coumadin" It w3as not till I was in the ER having my shirt cut off that someone found it & asks "What's this?" as they groped for the dog tag on the chain - it had fallen into my left armpit. The person doing the cutting was on my left side & the scar is right there, but they never noticed it! Meanwhile, in my drug induced stupor, I kept muttering that I had a PM & was on Coumadin. I said that to EVERY person I met while being examined.

In my self-evaluation immediately after the accident, I knew that I had some pretty bad internal injuries & especially worried about a punctured lung. W/ an INR in the mid 2-3 range, that could be bad. Even though I said coumadin to every new soul I met, it was not till several hours later that they got around to giving me a shot of Vitamin K in the butt! Almost as an afterthought. I specifically asked the ER Doc if he was a Bd certified ER Doc & he said yes; They had me under the primary care of a general surgeon, who was concerned about the lacerated liver. It was not till AFTER they got me into the bed in the ICU that they poked me w/ the Vit K.

I spent 3 days in Neuro ICU & 9 further days in the regular ward area and I NEVER had my PM or its functioning checked out. NEVER saw a cardio! And this was a designated trauma center in Atlanta, GA.

This was a mere 15 miles from my regular cardio's office, but he had no staff privileges there, so he could not come in to check me out.

The day AFTER I got released from the hosp, I went in to see him to have it checked. He was appalled that they had not checked it out.

To go back in time a few hrs - Immediately after the accident - w/i 5 minutes, Wife called my cardio asking him what to do w/ me & where I should go. He told her "North Fulton Hosp - it's a trauma center." That's where they took me.

Bottom line for you after this long ramble:
Get the ID, but NEVER trust anyone to look for it or at it. It just may not happen. I didn't & I kept muttering about the two issues & you can see that even that didn't help me much! You have to be your own keeper, cause your brother may not!

BTW: This was a RANT!

Don

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