should i set the pm @40

Hi!

I just got my pm today. I have been taken atenolol for 20 years. I have a hr at 45_65 for daily activities. I got the pm because of a complete heart block with several episode of syncopy. I have rbbb. Despite that, i usually do not feel heart discomfort. I do not feel tired if i sleep 8_9 hrs.

Is it resonable to set the low limit of the pm at 45? In this way, the pm will not pace and only serve as a backup. I feel normal when i am in bed with a hr at 47. I like a slow hr since i am used to it.
Thanks for you comments.

4 Comments

av block

by Tracey_E - 2013-08-23 08:08:05

If you have av block and pace ventricle, it doesn't much matter what the lower rate is for many of us. The pm is there to keep the ventricles in sync with the atria, so the atria is setting the pace, not the pm.

You need it higher

by PacerRep - 2013-08-23 08:08:07

Low resting heart rates in the 40's is pushing it, but if that's what you like, that is totally fine. Your issue is that you have 3rd degree HB, you need the pacemaker to maintain AV synchrony, otherwise your ventricle will be squeezing with bad valve timing causing regurgitation and a litany of othe issues down the road.

my low end is set at 45

by pacerlily - 2013-08-23 08:08:09

I read ronaldo and followingup posts. Thanks for sharing.

My doctor just set my low end at 45. All others are default to see how it suits me. In a week, i will be back for detailed adjustment.

He also showed me what i feel like to have atrium or ventricle pacing.

update for suggestions

by pacerlily - 2013-08-25 09:08:26

I do not know how to send a private message. I just give an update. My discharge paper says that the setting is 45 per patient request. My incision look normal. Feel a little itch as part of the healing. I have an appointment next week to check the incision. I will ask my doctor about questions from the comments: what is the setting to ensure av syn and overiding av block? I feel like normal as before. I do not feel my pm at all. I still feel a little under the weather. I am relaxed at home this weekend.

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