Pacemaker Club: Infection or Stitch Abscess?

Infection or Stitch Abscess?

by Holladay Pacer
2014-09-09 11:09:15
Surgery & Recovery
2441 views
1 comments

Hi All,

I'm just 5.5 weeks post op and I had some purulent drainage from the top of my incision (it's sub pectoral, so the incision runs along my axilla). I think it was just a stitch abscess, but my EP admitted me to the hospital and now has me on 6 weeks of Vanco through a PICC line with NO positive cultures of the drainage or the blood. Lab work is 100% fine. The echo was find and he even did an ultrasound over the incision line to see if there was anything there, and there wasn't. He's one of the best, and said he wants to treat this aggressively, but is this right?

6 weeks of antibiotics when it was likely just a stitch abscess? I went through a pocket infection and lead extraction 16 years ago. My Kidney GFR is only 48 and I'm terrified this will sink down further even though they are running weekly tests. I'm 43 and my Kidney Function is less than my 83 year old Mom!

Any feedback would be appreciated.

1 Comments

Vanco IV

by donb - 2014-09-10 12:09:50

Hi, reading your post of treating an infection aggressively with Vanco was also my treatment last year. I had labs & cultures done as you with having my pacemaker moved from left to right chest area. After only 2 months after my new right chest my site site started drainage. The tests were also negative but erosion started and this new replacement pacemaker & leads were removed & then test showed infection of the site & also the leads. After 30 days I had my replacement with new leads put in my lower groin along with a 7 week PICC line Vanco treatment as they also did a TEE test to check my heart where my original 2 leads had been clipped which also showed infection. These leads could not be removed safely as a plastic surgeon doing my chest restoration clipped them short at entry point in a vein. Open heart would have been the only way to safely take them out but was ruled out & aggresive Vanco treatment was done instead. So I still have my original pair of leads along with my new pair from my groin.
I should mention also that my groin site is now housing my 6th pacemaker as I had #2, #3, #4 & #5 all eroded & the Hospital team of specialists at our University agreed that I would do best with a belly implant by their top Internationally known specialist who does belly implant from all ages, from birth to my age of 82.
I really don't want to boast about this very comfortable new site as I posted how well my #5 implant under muscle was the greatest only to find it also managed to travel & finally erode. Ya, I know I'm way too active for an old geezer, hopefully my new site stays well. I no longer wear a belt, suspenders do real well. I was given no limtations, still very active & well but try to limit lifting. Hopefully my experience will answer some members questions. Forgot to mention I'm not pacemaker dependent where I've gone as much as 2 months without pacemakers but conduction always returns to it's old habits of very low HR at rest along with skips. I know this has been kicked around but it's quite common for a lazy heart to revert back to it's old habits, so be happy & ride with a good pacemaker implant !!!
DonB