PaceMaker self tests

Hi, I am new to the Club and have only had a Biotronik dual lead for 10 months to try and help me with my Atrial Fibrillation as I am intolerant to most Heart drugs.

I am curious to know what my pacemaker self tests are and how often are they implemented as I fell sometimes that I notice them in action . Or is my imagination ?
I am rather sensitive to any irregular heart beats.

Perhaps some one can advise me please ?

5 Comments

PaceMaker self tests

by ericnz - 2014-09-13 10:09:05

Thank you so much Lurch. Now I know why I am waking up in the middle of the night ! I will be getting my Tech to do the same.

Depends on settings

by Lurch - 2014-09-13 10:09:16

I have a Biotronik PM/ICD. It was initially set to test itself weekly at around 2:00am. Woke me up the first time (I am an extremely light sleeper) when it ran my heart rate up for the test.

You can definitely feel it. To me it felt like a slight electric shock in the middle of my chest (like touching something that isn't properly grounded).


I talked to my Tech about it and she turned it off. It now only does it once every three months.

Thanks

by ericnz - 2014-09-14 03:09:26

Thanks Inga . I shall do as you say . I think morning time would probably suit me.

Automatic capture management

by golden_snitch - 2014-09-14 04:09:36

Hi!

My Biotronik Evia does an automatic threshold test every night at 2 a.m., that is the nominal setting. Usually, I sleep through it, only felt it once when I was awake anyways.

Automatic threshold tests/capture management can help to save battery life. And with epicardial pacemaker leads, of which one knows that thresholds are likelier to change, I feel better when they are tested more often. Recently heard from a patient, whose cardio switched the test off, and then her threshold was rising and the pacemaker could not adjust to it automatically, so stimulation failed (failure to capture) resulting in her collapsing. If you decide to have this feature deactivated, let them program the amplitude with a good safety margin (2 x or 3x the value of the threshold). Or just let them change the time when the test is done, so that it doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night. As I said, 2 a.m. is the factory setting, you can have it programmed to any time you prefer.

Inga

Sensitive!

by mhj - 2014-09-16 07:09:47

My Biotronik Estella DR-T does a test every night.I can feel it and i dont like it at all. My pm react on movement so when i drive on bumpy road or sit still in a boat on wawes , or a horse while trotting my hartrate goes up. It doesent feels right but I understand it has too be like this if I will have the hartrate to went up while I run swim and so on. I had pm implant March this year so not al lot of experience.....just a lot of ?????

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