did i need a pm

Hi all.

I had my 12 month interrogation today. All was fine. I was told i have atrial pacing of 0.6% and ventricular pacing of 7.4%. As this is low compared to a lot of you on here, my question is other than i feel better than before the pm .... Did i really need it?
I realise to have any percentage i must have used it but would i of coped without one.

Thanks x

4 Comments

thank you

by nipper1 - 2014-06-12 07:06:25

Thanks,
I think going to the hospital for the check made me start thinking of all my old questions again. To be honest id almost forgot i had a pm until today, id stopped worrying and thinking that anytime i felt ill, it was to do with the pm.
everyone tells me i over think things, guess today was one of those days.Think i needed someone else to tell me it was needed, so thank you angry sparrow xx

What's Your Diagnosis?

by NiceNiecey - 2014-06-12 09:06:13

Hey There.

Even pacing as infrequently as you do, 7.4% in the ventricle is plenty. Remember this: Afib (atrial fibrilation) is pretty common on this site. Vfib (ventricular fibrilation) is NOT. Why? Because Vfib "is not compatible with life" as my doctor told me.

Don't second guess it; it's too late for that now! Be glad that your battery won't wear out very often. BTW, what IS your diagnosis; i.e., why DID you need a PM? Just curious.

Niecey

Indication

by golden_snitch - 2014-06-13 02:06:49

Hi Nipper!

First of all, it IS too late now to question the pacer implant again. When it's time for replacement, one can look at how much you pace and why, and discuss the replacement, but for now the pacer is in and that's it.

I went back and read your very first post here. From that I got that a holter/event monitor showed 2:1 heart blocks and complete heart block, but with the longest pause being something around 2.5 seconds only. That was, in fact, a bit of a borderline indication for an implant. But with a complete block and matching symptoms, if I were you, I'd probably have agreed to getting a pacer, too.

An intermittent complete block can hit at any time, and it can lead to longer pauses or become permanent. You will most likely not die from this block itself - we have so many members here who survived even pauses of 15 or 20 seconds -, but if you faint from it, you can get into serious situations. Just imagine that happening while driving a car. Even worse, in situations like that your fainting might also cause others to get hurt.

Last but not least, as Angrysparrow said, if you are feeling better with the pacer, then why question the need for it? It's obviously helping and doing what it should. Be glad that you don't need the ventricular pacing that often, because right ventricular pacing can also have a bad effect on the heart. But with pacing percentages as low as yours, it's rather unlikely.

Inga

needed

by judyblue - 2014-06-13 03:06:07

I pace atrial at 2.5% and ventricle <0.1%.BUT... When I was on my way to surgery I went to zero and had to get shocked. So I need it, just really infrequently. I too questioned the necessity. But when I thought about that time and if I had been driving at 70mph when it happened, a lot of bad could have happened. If I never drove, never walked up or down stairs, was never alone, I guess I maybe could survive without it. I still hate the thing, which so many on this site love theirs, but I do believe I need it.
good luck!
judy

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