Discomfort

My 16 year old son has had problems with spasms but now he says he feels as if he can feel where the lead screws into his heart. He is not in pain, he does say that it feels sore sometimes. Has anyone else ever had that feeling after getting a PM? He has had his for 3 months.

2 Comments

It's something else he is feeling

by PacerRep - 2013-10-08 01:10:17

Those screws are so tiny and thin, not much thicker than a strand of hair. They are inside the heart, he shouldn't be feeling that at all.

Lead Questions

by SMITTY - 2013-10-08 07:10:08


The screws involved with a pacemaker lead are those that attach the lead to the pacemaker. They are tiny as Pacer Rep said, but they are completely covered by the pacemaker and are on the opposite end of the lead from the heart.

There are two methods used to attach the lead to the wall of the heart. One looks like a tiny cork screw and is actually screwed into the hear wall. The other looks like a tiny fishhook barb and is used to attach the lead end to the heat wall. Why different types of attachments are used I don't have any idea. For me the "corkscrew" is used to attach the lead to the wall of the ventricle and the barb is used to attach the other lead to the atrium wall.

You can get an idea of what these look like in the pictures posted by the members. Go to Member Gallery (upper left side of the sign-in page) click on it and put in my name. I have posted several pictures and one is a picture of the lead ends in the heart.

I have no idea what is causing the discomfort your son is feeling.

Smitty

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Member Quotes

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