Defibrillation--Clavicle Pinch

• by n2rnn
• 2008-09-19 12:09:51
• Complications
• 2793 views
• 1 comments

I was defibrillated twice after receiving my ICD two years ago. Complications with the settings of the pacemaker--not compatible with my continued running. They finally did two things--implanted a third lead to get a more reliable reading from the heart and upped the limits before the pacemaker got alarmed. All was going well until this past month.

I was out running and BANG! Off went the defibrillator. Since I was running, my knees buckled and I went down on the graveled pavement. Got up and BANG, got his again, and again. This continued at 30 second intervals for a total of 10 times! Not a fun experience.

At the emergency, the technician turned off the defibrillator and began to investigate. He had me do some extreme arm movements. When I reach high above my head, he said "Stop, there it is." He correctly diagnosed clavicle pinch, or the wearing of the pacemaker leads as they pass under the clavicle and above the rib cage. In my case the insulation on the wires had worn through.

After consulting with the doctor, he determined that my continued weight lifting along with weekly push up sessions was the probable cause--not my running.

I would warn those who lift weights to be cautious and consult with your doctor. There is an element of genetics--some people have more room than others for the passage of the lead wires.

To help reduce a repeat of my situation, a new doctor was brought in and they routed the lead wires through the cephalic vein rather than the subclavian artery. The doctor has never had a failure of the leads using this method but he did restrict my doing repetitious upper body exercise. He also said that increased muscle around the lead wires further exacerbates the condition. Oh well, such is life as we adapt to foreign substances placed in the body. Some things we just have to adapt to.