Surgery cancelled due to pacemaker?

So I was scheduled for a minor outpatient procedure today with general anesthesia. The center called yesterday to get my medical history (the same medical history the surgeon was well aware of) and later called and said the anesthesiologist refused to do the procedure until after I was checked out by cardiology. I just had a pacer check in September and everything was fine. While I am relieved to avoid the procedure, it entailed taking time off work, rescheduling my patients, and closing the office which is not great for my staff. Seems the surgeon could have communicated I had a pm or the surgery center could have called me prior to the day before. What a waste of time. I didn't know pacers were that scary for anesthesiologists.

8 Comments

Medical Release

by Grateful Heart - 2013-11-15 10:11:07

The anesthesiologist requires a medical release form from your Cardio. Yes, usually you are notified in advance, at least during your pre-surgical lab workup... that you need this release.

It's partly cya for the Doctors but also safety measures for you. You really can't fault them, they are looking out for you. It would have been nice to notify you sooner.

Hope it all works out for you.

Grateful Heart

Records faxed

by Bostonstrong - 2013-11-15 11:11:24

I had records faxed from both the cardio and EP as the surgeon requested. No one asked for a medical release from the cardio until less than 24 hrs prior. I didn't even bother calling the cardio at that point as I knew they couldn't get me in that quickly. Maybe I dodged a bullet, I'm not that fond of surgery in the first place, it took a lot of pushing before I scheduled this. I got an infection during a procedure a few years ago and got my heart perforated during the pm surgery. Maybe I just need to stay away from hospitals:)

Whoops!

by donr - 2013-11-15 11:11:30

General is the magic word here. I don't think any anesthesiologist will touch you w/ a general w/o a cardio clearance. Too much can go wrong. They have too many things to worry about when you are under that far as far as life support is concerned.

Search the archives w/the term "Electrosurgery." It's a very recent thread & talks about all the possible grief from mixing Bovies & PM's. There are at least ONE link to an article by a guy named Wallace that discusses it in depth. you need to read that article, also.

You did not mention what the surgery was, but sounds like a potential for Bovie introduction into your body.

This NOT a trivial subject.

Don

Bovie

by Bostonstrong - 2013-11-15 11:11:53

I studied the article by Wallace, made notes on it, and was prepared to bring the notes with me and discuss precautions prior to the procedure. I doubt if anyone in this small rural outpatient surgery center can interrogate a pacer prior to or after a surgery. The thought of being put into DOO mode and the possibility of R on T precipitating vt or vf was not a small concern. Still feel like I dodged a bullet! My gripe is that no one asked for clearance until late in the afternoon the day before and the logistics of scheduling were somewhat difficult. I will not bother to reschedule. Since nothing has changed in the two months since I saw the EP I don't see the point of going back just to get clearance which would entail more time off work. Yes, I've been told nurses make terrible patients. It's true!

Brend

by Bostonstrong - 2013-11-16 07:11:45

Good luck with your surgery. Hope all goes well.

You've applied logic

by Theknotguy - 2013-11-16 07:11:57

You're applying logic where logic does not apply.

Yes it should have been checked out. But it wasn't. Had a situation where one rehab center refused me only to have the other send me back to the first.

I worked for a health plans where the head doctor said, "Ultimately the patient is responsible for their own health." So sometimes you have to have chutzpah and get in people's faces. That means you have to start asking questions way in advance and be prepared for the last minute mess up. Logic does not apply!

Oh, and I've found the gas passers to be more jumpy than a football center who hates a quarterback with cold hands.

Hope everything goes well. Hope this helps.

Theknotguy

pre surgery assessment.

by Brend - 2013-11-16 08:11:01

Hi. I am awaiting a date for surgery with a general anesthetic and my cardiologist told me to insist on a pre assessment meeting with the anesthetics team rather than an ordinary pre assessment. This was because many anesthesiologist refuse to proceed on the day of a proceedure unless this assessment takes place.
I had the assessment this week and am good to go.
Brend

outpatient

by Tracey_E - 2013-11-16 08:11:06

I always assumed the outpatient surgery centers wouldn't take us. I haven't tried recently (knock on wood, haven't needed anything) but I thought we had to have the pm rep present.

When i got my wisdom teeth out in college, the oral surgeon wouldn't give me anything more than novacaine in the office so I ended up admitted to the hospital. I got some weird looks going through all the pre-op crap when they saw the diagnosis on my chart!

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