Merlin Home Monitor?

I have a St. Jude 2210 pacemaker and a Merlin Home monitor. When I got the home monitor in the mail I followed the instructions and set it up immediately. As far as I can tell it is sitting there day after day doing nothing. I am guessing from the vague instructions, that it is only active when the doctor orders a monitoring/check up session. I was led to believe that I would receive information regarding specific dates/times that the Merlin would interrogate the PM. I have received no information and will investigate this at my next doctor's appointment. But in the interim I am wondering if it is at all necessary to have the Merlin plugged in everyday when it appears that no one has requested any monitoring. I would think that I should get a specific schedule and then be able to set it up a day or two before the scheduled interrogation. Between my CPAP machine, Merlin monitor, alarm clock, electric blanket and telephone etc., I am running out of room and electrical outlets etc. The Merlin sitting there makes it harder for me to just ignore my pacemaker and get on with feeling "normal".

3 Comments

Thank you all for your comments

by Artist - 2015-01-13 03:01:35

I guess it really does boil down to the need to call my EP or cardiologist to try to find out if they have my Merlin programmed to do anything other than the occasional 90 day PM interrogation. I don't have another doctor's appointment until March and would like to get more information sooner so that I can look at disconnecting the Merlin if it is essentially dormant. It is just so frustrating to try to get answers from the doctors. They are not very approachable and usually you have to leave a message with their nursing staff and hope that someone calls back and then hope that they give accurate information. I do have sleep apnea and a bedside table littered with various devices. I was told that the Merlin has to face my bed and be within arms reach. It would help if it could be placed on the other side of the bed. Thanks again for sharing your advice and experiences with me.

merlin

by capecod - 2015-01-13 08:01:26

hi there
I have a merlin also. you can call your clinic to find out the details but here is how mine works.
i leave it plugged in 24/7 by my bed. it is scheduled to perform a check every day at 2AM and takes a reading of the day. my doc has set 2 reasons for notification - (every one is different) and would be notified by an "alert" to his office if i show any of those 2 symptons.

there are 2 alerts - a yellow and red. if it is a red alert (of immediate concern), the doctor is called.

additionally, my merlin performs a routine check on the device every thursday.

also, I am scheduled for a home check with this device every 3 months in addition to seeing my doc at other times. I feel secure with this and have taken it with me when i travel. it also works out of the country.

I would suggest you check with your clinic to find out details. hope all works out well.
patty

Merlin

by TJ319 - 2015-01-14 01:01:35

I, too, used to wonder about Merlin sitting at my bedside. I was told by St. Jude technicians that the device actually checks the PM each day. If all is good, nothing happens. I would advise you to call your doc office and find out how the device is set up, just for peace of mind. One tech from St. Jude said to think of how your car does a warning light check every time you start it up. Merlin does this for us each day.

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Member Quotes

I'm 35 and got my pacemaker a little over a year ago. It definitely is not a burden to me. In fact, I have more energy (which my husband enjoys), can do more things with my kids and have weight because of having the energy.