Pacemaker Change Out

Hi All,

My son had his pacemaker when he was 8mths old.He is now 21 mths old and has a natural heart beat of 30-44Bpm when checked at his last interrogation with his pacemaker turn off.

Question,

With that low heart rate and his pacemaker off,at the age of 8yrs will his heart beat drop below that value seeing that he will be a a toddler?

If his heart beat is lower than 30-44bpm,how will they facilitate changeout of his PM with that low heart beat and keeping him alive?

Did anyone had the experience with a heart beat in that range and went lower than when they get older?If YES,what was their average value?

Appreciate your response...

2 Comments

try not to worry

by Pacemum - 2014-01-24 07:01:09

Those doing the change will be well prepared so that your son will be well looked after during the change.

My daughter has total heart block and had her box changed last year. She was admitted in the morning and was second on the list (they were going in age order). We were allowed to leave hospital straight after she had eaten her evening meal.

We were allowed to walk into the lab with her this time. If you have not ever seen the inside of a cardiac catheter lab they are amazing. They usually give children a general anesthetic so they are fast asleep during the whole procedure.

not unusual

by SaraTB - 2014-01-24 12:01:19

I'm sure others will post here in due course, but many of us have 'escape rhythms' of 30 or so. Many of us have had several pacemaker changes over the years, and please be assured, the doctors are well versed in what to do to maintain heart rate during the procedure. Some will ensure the patient is connected to an external pacemaker, which can take over in the event of difficulty. In my change-over, my doctor was so quick, I was only unconnected for a few seconds - the new pacemaker can be re-attached to the leads so quickly, before it's placed back in the body.
They really do have this procedure well planned - but when the time comes, you should feel able to quiz your son's doctor about how he intends to handle it, for your own reassurance.
I think there are other posts on the site, discussing the fact that escape rhythms vary in the same patient - mine was 30 when last checked, but I imagine it will be different, higher or lower, at other checks.

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