Running and biking with PM - questions

I am on week 7 and have the Medtronic Advisa MRI safe PM. I am a runner and have been back to running since week 2. The default settings did not have rate response turned on and when my HR got to about 130, my heart became arrhythmic and the PM took me to 60. That is not a good feeling. Anyway, the cardio turned on rate response and things were much better, but I had trouble getting my HR above 125. When I went back for my week 6 checkup, he readjusted the RR parameters with the medtronic tech on line. When I run now, it doesn't take much to get my HR up to 153 (Max is set at 155) even if I run a 10 minute mile. It feels really easy, almost like I am cheating. I guess that is what blood doping is like for cyclists. When I increase my pace to a 9 minute mile, still no change in HR and it feels easy. It isn't until I get to an 8.5 minute mile pace that I feel the HR, respiration rate, and muscle burden are all in balance. Is the RR exertion sensing too sensitive? Shouldn't I have to work harder to get the rate up to near max?

Also, as in understand it, the accelerometer in the PM depends on body motion to sense exertion level. I don't see this as a problem since I tend to rock and roll my upper body when I run anyway, but does anyone have any experience with rate response on a bicycle. I tend to be a fairly smooth cyclist. How does the PM RR respond when biking?

2 Comments

Rate response

by golden_snitch - 2014-06-18 05:06:13

Hi Chris!

If you get the heart rate up close to the max in no time, the RR is probably set too sensitive, as you suggested. There are several options how to fine tune the sensor. For instance, by changing the activity level from (nominal) medium to high or very high, the rate response will be slowed down. You can also change how fast the heart rate increases up to the max and decreases. However, your Medtronic RR also does learn automatically, so you might as well just give it some time to figure you out. Could be that, as soon as it senses that you are exercising very regularly, it will automatically adjust, so that the response you get is less aggressive (not taking you HR up to max as soon as you start running, for instance). My cardio says that the Medtronic devices are really good at that auto-optimization, he rarely needs to tweak the RR settings.

My experience with regards to accelerometer only and cycling is not a good one. Since there is a lack of upper body movement, my accelerometer hardly responded at all to cycling. And if it did, it responded really slowly. But then I totally depend on the RR, I do not have an atrial rhythm that can take me up to 130bpm. I would think that you might not have huge difficulties when cycling, because you have an atrial rhythm that can do up to 130. So, even if the accelerometer does not respond properly, your atrial rhythm will. At least up to 130, which should be okay, if you don't do intense Mountainbiking or anything like that. Give it a try and see what happens!

Inga

Thanks Inga

by ChrisD - 2014-06-18 09:06:03

I never realized how sophisticated a device a modern pacemaker was until I got one! There is a lot to learn. I will do just as you suggest and give it time and see how things work out. Thanks again

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