How Often Are You Pacing?

I am just curious how often (i.e., what percentage) everybody is pacing? I have a double-lead PM and I pace around 87% of the time in the right Atrium and 25% in the right Ventricle. Everyone is different, of course, but I wonder if it's like a standardized test with a bell curve and "average" is 50%.

7 Comments

Great & Hilarious Answers!

by NiceNiecey - 2014-03-12 01:03:41

Thank you Inga, TraceyE & Cabg Patch (aka Pot Patch!).

Such wonderful answers. The only thing I am know for sure that I've been diagnosed with is Mobitz Type 2 Heart Block.

I will take Inga's suggestion and try to access a database when I've got an hour. Going on this site has been helpful and I try not to obsess over any of my problems so I limit my reading.

Thank goodness I feel so much better than I did the first 6 weeks. I would NOT want to go through that again.

Niecey

pacemaker dependency

by LuCas - 2014-03-12 02:03:22

Hello pacemaker friends,

This is Lucio, from Brazil.
In my case, since it is my first pacemaker and implanted in June, 2013, I am very thankfull to St Jude to keep me alive and kicking.
In my case, due to a restrictive miocardiopathy which caused an almost complete blockage of the AV node, I am 98% pacemaker dependent. I have a reasonably normal life after the latest programming. My health is not 100% because of a constant Atrial Flutter that I have. I perfectly remember how well I used to feel before having this constant flutter. My left atrium is beating 350.

The problem is not the pacemaker; the problem is how the heart will respond to treatment. For people who have Atrial Fibrilation who have undergone total ablation of the AV node, it is possible that they are 100% dependent on the pacemaker. In my case again, if doctors take away the pacemaker, I am quite sure that the quality of my life will be severely diminished.

For people who have a normal heart with occasional episodes of bradichardia (very low heart rate), it is possible to have your heart working well and occasionally use the pacemaker to fullfill the missing heartbeats. How dependent people are on pacemakers? I think this only matters for individual cases. For example, if last year I was 10% dependent on the pacemaker and nowadays I am 98%, this means that the AV node or other reason, is not conducting well. Dependency on pacermaker will be proportional to how normal your heart's electrical system is, but there is no rule.
Well, to finish, I am 98% dependent on my pacemaker due to other underlying heart problems. If my heart muscle was ok, than it is quite possible that I would not feel any considerable difference in my life quality. Much on the contrary, I would feel 98% normal.

Our friends Inga and Tracey said have given the best technical responses.


Lucio Castro
(Dual lead St. Jude Medical Pacemaker Accent 2112)

Pacing percentages

by golden_snitch - 2014-03-12 03:03:01

I'm pacing 97% in the left atrium, and 100% in my left ventricle (epicardial leads).

How much you pace depends on your condition: People with complete permanent heart block usually pace 100% in the ventricle, but not or not much in the atrium; people with sick sinus syndrome usually pace more in the atrium, and not or not much in the ventricle, and so on. So, you'd have to find out how many patients are implanted on the basis which indication. In Germany, the No 1 indication is sick sinus, followed by complete heart block, and people with bi-nodal disease (sinus and AV-node) are a minority. There is a register here where you can get these data from. I guess you have something like this in the U.S., too.

Inga

Pacing

by cheshirealice - 2014-03-12 03:03:47

I have bradichardia and only pace 33% of my atrium lead. My ventricle lead is turned off because of <0.5% pacing. I'm not actually sure how long pacemakers last but mine go about 10 years. Who knows how my pacing will change over time though.

what Inga said

by Tracey_E - 2014-03-12 07:03:09

Inga summed it up well. There is no curve or average overall because every condition paces differently. I have 3rd degree av block, pace 100% ventricle. That's common for what I have. I pace on average 4% atrial, mostly for drops while exercising.

pacing

by wjs1954 - 2014-03-13 05:03:20

just went for 1st check up today
81 % upper
0 % lower

sure when i start back to work (Monday), running and riding it will be less than 81%

Thanks wjs1954

by NiceNiecey - 2014-03-13 05:03:41

Does exercise actually change the frequency of pacing? I'm learning a lot but that wasn't something I'd been told. You must be in great shape!
Niecey

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I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for pacemakers. I've had mine for 35+ years. I was fainting all of the time and had flat-lined also. I feel very blessed to live in this time of technology.