general query

I had a Biotronk Estella DR PM implanted on July 1. It is set for 60 beats per minute and, when I’ve checked, my pulse now never goes below 60. My question is the following: when my HB exceeds 60, does that mean the PM ceases to work and is activated only when my pulse goes back to below 60, or is it active all the time?

2 Comments

depends how you pace

by Tracey_E - 2014-09-05 09:09:58

The pm is always watching! 60 bpm works out to one beat per second so it will never let you go more than a second without kicking in and causing a beat.

It can also be set to increase your rate for you if it doesn't go up appropriately on its own on exertion. That can be turned off if you don't need it.

If you have heart block, it will be set to make sure the ventricles beat every time the atria does, whatever the rate is at the time. In that case, the lower limit is irrelevant because the pm is keeping the heart in sync, not setting the pace.

Do you know

by KAG - 2014-09-05 11:09:54

why you got your PM? Was it for a problem with your sinus node, or AV block?

As Tracey says, what the PM does depends on why you got it and how it's programmed.

For AV block, or heart block, with a sinus node with no issues, your PM will just monitor your atria beats and if your ventricle doesn't beat within a programmed time the PM will pulse your ventricle. So your natural pacemaker, the sinus node, will set your HR. Unless it drops below 60, then the PM will make sure you don't go below 60.

If you have problems with your sinus node then the PM is programmed to take over that function. Usually Rate Response is turned On. Though other types may have different algorithms and sensors. For a Medtronics PM there is an accelerometer that senses movement and raises and lowers your HR. There are multiple settings that can be programmed to optimize RR for your activities.

Hope this isn't to much info, but I think that knowing what and how my PM works helped me to adjust to it.

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