Bad Lead Wires

Don - I don't live in GA, I live in Nebraska -- population 379. I Doctor at the Omaha Med Center, which is probably the best in Nebraska. That being said, I still question capabilities of surgeons, so definitely will be asking questions. I have 2 wires - first set of wires broke a long time ago - so wires and pacemaker were moved to the other side (left). Options - between existing wires if scar tissue allows; or on outside of heart. I return for a check up June 26th -- so I want to have all my ducks in a row; have questions prepared for the Doctor and surgeon and see what they say....and, not sure they will use the same surgeon I had previously. Because it's a University Hosptial, I don't want to have anyone that is inexperienced. You are right, my life is totally in someone else's hands...and mainly the Lord's hands. I will do my part and pray the Lord leads me in the right direction...and hopefully to a very competent surgeon. Thank you for your information. I really appreciate that. I found a very good site that had the medical group that wrote up the best practice for lead wire extractions - it gave all the technically information and concerns surrounding this procedure as well as minimal training that would be expected by a Surgeon. I guess for now I will just take your questions in with me and go from there.

Thank you for your input.

2 Comments

Epicardial leads...

by golden_snitch - 2012-03-19 03:03:03

Hi!

Short comment on the option "on the outside of the heart": These so-called "epicardial" leads are rarely ever placed, except for in babies and small children. That being said, most adult cardios do not have much experience with placing them. So, if that's the option you go for or your doctor wants to take, then ask him about how often he performs/has performed epicardial lead placements. It also involves a much bigger surgery than a normal pacer implant. If you scroll down the most recent posts, you'll find a question by someone, who's going to have a CRT lead placed epicardially, and to whom I explained the surgery.

Best wishes
Inga

Something to keep in mind

by ElectricFrank - 2012-03-19 12:03:36

All doctors and surgeons no matter how experienced ar still practicing.!!!

frank

You know you're wired when...

You invested in the Energizer battery company.

Member Quotes

The pacer systems are really very reliable. The main problem is the incompetent programming of them. If yours is working well for you, get on with life and enjoy it. You probably are more at risk of problems with a valve job than the pacer.