New Heart Issue

Okay, I am post implant and the dizziness has not stopped. The Doc ordered an ECG, revealing only the heart is only pumping at 33%.

Is this a bad thing?

What is the likely outcome?

I looked it up and the literature is mentioning a possible ICD.
Anybody had any experience with this?

Frustrating, I thought the PM was going to do the trick.

Rob

5 Comments

I'm not the expert

by sfbaywalk - 2011-11-11 01:11:11

FYI --- You state 33%. I believe you mean "ejection fraction." Normal is about 66%. So you can revise your perspective and consider that you are at about 1/2, not 1/3, of normal. I am at about the same level.

Other cause of dizziness --- pills. Check the handouts that come with the pills. They had to re-think a couple of my dosages.

Low-tech advice -- stand up slowly. If you start getting dizzy, bend forward with hands on knees to get blood back to your head.

I can't predict outcome. Since surgery 1.5 years ago, I have walked 600 miles with 7 miles of vertical gain. And I swam a total of 55 miles.

33%

by Pookie - 2011-11-11 02:11:21

I'm assuming as well that you mean your Ejection Fraction is 33% but I'm confused as how they could tell you that from just having an ECG, usually one has to have a MIBI or MUGA test or some kind of cardiac echo.

I don't have any experience with a low EF, but the best I can offer is to do a Search on this site and/or wait for some of the other members to comment.

Another thing I would think of considering is getting a 2nd opinion. I don't know if you deal with just a Cardiologist but I've found that an EP is quite knowledgeable as well.

I think it's time, unfortunately, for you to be your own advocate and do as much research on this as you can and push the doctors as much as you can too. It's been my experience that if we don't speak up, then they sometimes dismiss us thinking that we will just go away:(

There has to be an answer to your problem, and never ever give up hope.

Again, if it were me, I'd be going for a 2nd or even a 3rd opinion.

I wish you the best of luck.

Pookie

dizziness

by Pookie - 2011-11-11 02:11:46

I forgot to add: many of us experience this for whatever reason after getting our pacemakers or defibs. Dizziness is one of the hardest things to find the cause.

It could be from your meds or possibly from something else going on with your body.

Just a thought: have you ever had a tilt table test?

Do you keep hydrated? Do you ever feel faint?

Just a suggestion: keep a diary of what you were doing, what you ate, etc at the times you get dizzy, this just might help the doctors figure it out.

Take care,
Pookie

LIKELY OUTCOME

by pete - 2011-11-11 04:11:50

There is no likely outcome. Assuming your EF is 33% that is at a level where some people may experience problems but others may just be fine. We are all individuals. Anyway we are talking of 33% of what volume. Some hearts have a higher volume than others. Maybe you should ask the Doctors/technicians to adjust your pacemaker to try and stop the dizzyness. Pacemakers are normally set using educated guesswork at the beginning and often need a bit of tweaking to get the best result. Mine did and the problems went away. Dont worry. Peter

EF Numbers

by SMITTY - 2011-11-11 05:11:22

Hi Rob,

Ejection fraction and what it means. If you want a good discussion on EF and what it means go to this web site.

http://www.chfpatients.com/faq/ef.htm

Now let me tell you what I know about EF and how it is calculated. First there are at least 5 ways to determine EF. The echocardiogram, MUGA, nuclear stress test, heart catheterization and by cat-scan. I have had mine determined by the first four on that list over the years. Echocardiogram is the one used most frequently as it is the quickest and most simple. I always felt the results obtained during a catheterization were the most accurate. I think that because to me it provides the best, or clearest, view of the ventricle to be measured.

Regardless of which one is used they are all based on the same principal. That is, as Patch said, measuring the difference in size of the ventricle before and after it beats. It is the measuring the difference in the size of the heart chamber before and after where the discrepancies come in. Some methods provide a better picture for the doctor to measure the size of the heart chamber before and after beating to determine the EF.

When it is all said and done the two most important things if you are looking at EF numbers is don't hang your hat on one and say this it, get several and look at the trend. Again, as Patch said "what's important is how you feel."

Pete, to answer your question "33% of what." From all I have seen the one standard number used to determine the CC of blood pumped is "a normal heart contains 200CC of blood." I have not been able to find the definition of "a normal heart."

This is one of those subject that has no ending. Over the last 4 or 5 years I have had an EF reported from a low of 33% to a high of 70% (in March 2011). My last test about 2 months ago showed 45%, on which I am doing fine. I just let the Dr play with the numbers and think about them only when I writing something here.

Good luck

Smitty



















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