Best Brand of Pacemaker

I am having a Pacemaker implanted on August 8th 2014 and I am trying to decide what Brand to choose from the two that the Hospital where I will have the procedure done works with; Boston Scientific and Medtronic. Can anyone provide me with information on which one is a better quality device? Thank you in advance for any feedback you can provide.
Regards,
Luis

7 Comments

they're all good

by Tracey_E - 2014-07-23 09:07:50

There are some differences, mostly in rate response, but for the most part they are all dependable and will fix a slow heart.

Medtronic is the larger company so they will have more reps, esp if you are in a remote area.

Boston has had the most recalls, but not recently.

Ask your dr what his recommendation is since he'll be the one programming your device. I find it odd when drs leave it up to us. They're the professionals and are supposed to better understand the nuances.

I got my first in emergency surgery so didn't have a chance to question my dr's choice, tho the rep did come see me before surgery to show me one and explain how it works. The next two I didn't even ask about the model, just knew that I was staying with the same company. I'm on my 4th St Judes. We briefly considered switching to Medtronic with the last replacement because they have a feature SJM doesn't that may have been useful. However, I've had the same SJM rep for 20 years now and I adore him and he understands all my quirks (my settings are not ordinary). I decided I wasn't willing to start over with a new rep just to get that one feature. So I guess this last time I did make the decision, but my dr and I were on the same page.

MRI

by Alma Annie - 2014-07-23 11:07:12

It would be useful to have a pm that is MRI compatible. You never know when you might need one. I could not have an MRI after I had TIA (a mini stroke or pre stroke). They were not available when I had mine put in.
Alma Annie

Upper tracking rate

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-24 03:07:28

Hi!

I read that you had a mital valve repair and ended up with damage to the conduction system. So, I guess you now have a heart block? Also read that you are very active, a long distance runner, and that you would like to get back to this once the pacer is in.

Now, if you indeed have a heart block, then the pacemaker's rate response sensor is not really important; your perfectly functioning sinus node will dictate the pace, you won't need the rate response.

What would be good for you to have is a pacemaker with a high "upper/max tracking rate": the ventricular pacer lead tracks the sinus node's pace, and makes the ventricles beat at the same pace. This is important in active patients, who need high heart rates. I can imagine that when you run uphill or run fast, you probably need more than 160 or 180bpm.

Not 100% sure, but I think with regards to this parameter, you are better off with a Medtronic pacer. At least the Medtronic Adapta has a upper tracking rate of 220bpm, while for instance the Boston Scientific Ingenio and the Altrua can only do up to 185bpm. That means, even if your sinus node is doing 190 or 200, your ventricles will only be paced up to 185. With a Medtronic Adapta the sinus node will be tracked till 220bpm.

Best wishes

Inga

Adapta

by Tracey_E - 2014-07-24 10:07:21

Inga, that's the one I considered, for exactly that reason. It's the only model (at least it was 4 years ago when I did the research, someone else may have one now) that goes above 180. I asked my dr if he really wanted me working out at 200, he said probably not, so I stuck with SJM.

best device

by culver001 - 2014-07-24 12:07:03

I have a MedTronic and it has been fine (knock on wood). I found it rather strange that they ask us if we have a preference! ummmm no its not like I came into your office and making a purchase that was thougth out. I walked into your office was told you are getting a PM and then I went into shock.
sorry for the tangent. I have had no problems with my device and I told my Cardio guy to pick the best one for my needs since HE IS THE EXPERT!!! My device is a larger PM due to the battery life and my age. He was thinking maybe only two batteries with the MedTronic.
Just be prepared! I have little body fat and i was very sore and felt like i had a steamer size trunk in my chest after the implant. I felt like I needed to lift it or hold it to avoid it falling out or down inside my chest. Good luck and I did NO research on devices i just told my doc to decide.

Tracey

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-24 12:07:18

If you have no structural heart disease, then there is no reason why your upper heart rate should be limited. It's non-sense. After open-heart surgery they told me that, for 3-4 months I should try not to exceed 130bpm, but after that I had no restrictions. With a simple, congenital heart block, and no structural issues at all, you can exercise as much as like you, and as long as you are feeling fine, even a pulse of 200bpm is okay.

Culver, every pacer has only one battery. How long it lasts? Well, that depends on A LOT of different factors, like amplitude, lead status, features activated, pacing percentage etc. Also, pacemakers today are around the same size, somewhere between 8cc and 12cc. I had one that was 8cc, and the battery would have lasted about 9-11 years. Now I have a pacer that's 12cc, and the battery life is projected around 10 years ( the manufacturer told me the pacer is bigger because the battery is bigger/better and will last longer, but at least according to the most recent projections that is just not the case).

Inga

Inga

by Tracey_E - 2014-07-25 01:07:20

Keep in mind I'm old enough to be your mother ;) If you do the formula for my age, my max should be 160-170. Higher than that isn't unsafe and he's ok with me going higher, but I never went over 150 until the SVT got bad. If it was legitimately getting up that high from pushing it (before atenolol I zoomed from 60 to my max in a few minutes of exertion) or if I was younger, I would have thought harder about changing. He left it up to me.

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