PROBLEMS WITH VERY LOW HEART RATE

MY TEST YESTERDAY SHOWS THAT MY PACE MAKER SEEMS TO BE DOING ALMOST ALL OF THE WORK. THE LOW PERCENTAGE OF TIME THAT IT'S DOING THE BEATING IS 76.3% AND THE HIGH IS 90.5%. IT WAS PUT IN DURING AN EMERGENCY OPERATION ON DEC 13TH AT CLEVELAND CLINIC - FLORIDA. IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY THAT MY HEART WILL ONCE AGAIN START BEATING MORE ON IT'S OWN, OR IS IT A DONE DEAL? I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER HAVE A PACEMAKER. I'M 68, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY RATE DROPPED FROM 84-100 DOWN TO A HIGH OF 42 AND MOSTLY @ 36-38 BPM.
IT'S A MEDTRONIC DUAL CHAMBER MRI PACER. NO MATTER WHEN I GET MY PULSE CHECKED, IT'S ALWAYS 60-61 WHICH IS WHAT THE UNIT IS SET FOR. ANY ADVICE FOR A NEWBEE?
THANKS,
DAVID

5 Comments

beating

by Tracey_E - 2013-01-22 10:01:30

Your heart is still doing the beating! The pm mimics the electrical signal that your heart should be putting out when your heart doesn't do it on its own. Your heart muscle responds to the pm impulse with a beat.

Unless there's a reason for the drop in hr such as medication or thyroid problems, it's not likely your heart will pick up again on its own. The pm will always give our hearts a chance to beat on their own before kicking in, so if your heart picks up the pace on its own the pm will simply sit back and watch.

Electrical problems of the heart are like a short circuit. Many times the heart is structurally normal and healthy, the electrical system has broken down. Sometimes it happens from medication or infection, sometimes it's age, sometimes we never find out what caused it. One thing you can know is it's nothing you did wrong or could have prevented.

If you were in the 30's before, it's not surprising you are pacing a lot. I pace 100%, have for almost 20 years now. It sounds like a big deal at first but it really isn't! I feel great. The pm just gives my heart a boost. Once we heal and start to feel better, many of us don't give it a thought.

How do you feel with it at 60 all the time? If it's not going up with activity, they can adjust the settings so that it does.

your cardiman

by mtulau - 2013-01-22 10:01:44

this is where you should direct your questions, and more as well, to your cardiologist. You are entitled to be told all this without asking, but if you have to ask, do so. He should fill you in on what you can expect. No one on this site can give you a 100% correct answer as we are not cardiologists and there is a lot more info which is not supplied. All the best, Merlene

Low HR & Electric Block

by donb - 2013-01-22 11:01:22

Hi David, I had my 1st PM implanted in 1992 At age 60. As I had 2nd degree electrical block My PM was also a dual chamber Medtronic . It really did the job as it was set for 60-120. As the low setting would not allow my HR below 60. Before my implant I would get down into the 30s' at rest which was not good.
If you find that you need more get up & go like when you jump up after sitting down, your PM settings can be changed to kick your HR up as I found 60 was not high enough. Actually if your heart is in good shape physically, your PM can really do wonders if properly set up. Now at age 81 I'm still very active & just recently had my 5th replacement & I am still enjoying activity more now than athe years prior to my 1st PM implant. Good Luck !! Compare your PM settings to the newer Auto Engine computer settings as they can also be altered for red hot performance.
DonB

I have the same pm David

by RobertS - 2013-01-23 02:01:15

and my check showed it was pacing for 99 percent of the time. The others are right - you should speak with your EP or cardio but Tracy's explanation is the one I got when I asked the same question as you.

But my pm is set at 60 -140 [was 130 but I asked then to up it] and is rate responsive i.e. has the ability increase the pacing rate in response to physical activity so I can get my HR from 60 to 140 depending on what I am doing. Normally it sits about 68-70 but I have had it up to 135. So I'd have your setting and leads checked as soon as you can.

If you are interested, there is a very good Powerpoint presentation from St Jude Medical on Rate response and Bradycardia which you can see at:
www.sjmprofessional.com/Media/DownloadResource.aspx?id...

best of luck

Robert

Do you have any pain

by MsJanet - 2013-01-23 12:01:52

I also have a Medtronic, dual chamber, MRI compatable PM set at 60. After my surgery I had pain and my heartrate would not get above 60. My husband and I even joked about it until we realized that the bottom lead needed adjusting. The bottom lead was pacing my diaphragm instead of my heart.
You should not be feeling pain except of course in the incision site. I hate to acknowledge that I had to PUSH the issue, but once my cardiologist realized I wasn't just over-reacting about a new device in my heart, she immediatly set up a meeting that same afternoon with the PM tech so that the adjustment could be made.
Check and double check without hesitation. It's important to do this ASAP.
I do agree that it could be your own heart beating at 60 and 61 so there's no need for your pacer to kick in. I'm planning on checking to see if I should go up to 70 myself soon. Good Luck and please keep updating.

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