Overpacing

I have had a pacemaker for just under one year and so far my experience of it has been excellent. It was set at 70 beats per minute. Recently, however, at rest my heart started beating at 110 per minute.I notified the hospital and when the ambulance came to take me in the ECG confirmed that it was the pacemaker that was doing this.

At the hospital the nurse in charge of the pacing unit told the doctor in charge of my case that this was normal and would be up to 130 bpm. I returned home.

Two days later the beat is still 110 and I am feeling increasingly tired.

Brief research on internet has indicated that this is not perhaps as normal as stated and is, in any case correctable.

Does anyone else have any experience of this sort of pacemaker behavior or can add any expertise or information source?

I would be very grateful for any help.

Travis

5 Comments

PMT

by golden_snitch - 2015-02-24 02:02:14

Hi!

Pacemakers should not cause tachycardia at rest. If they do, there's something wrong. No idea where the nurse got that from, but it's wrong. The 130bpm she mentioned is a typical upper (tracking) rate limit, it's often the nominal setting (standard setting when you activate the pacemaker). It's the max. heart rate when you exercise etc.

What could be causing your tachy is a so-called "pacemaker-mediated tachycardia" (PMT), also called "endless-loop tachycardia". If you google that term, you'll find lots of information about it. Apart from this, it could be some kind of atrial arrhythmia or simply a fast sinus node that's causing your tachycardia. But if the ECG clearly showed that you are paced at that rate, it's rather unlikely - unless the nurse or the doctor didn't interpret the ECG correctly.

Best wishes!

Inga

P.S. It would be helpful to know why you got the pacemaker, so what your diagnosis is. If you haven't done so, yet, please fill out your member's profile. Makes it easier for others to help you with your questions.

Travis.......

by Tattoo Man - 2015-02-24 03:02:49


.........phone your PM contact at the hospital where you got your device....if I know the NHS will get you in for a check asap.

110 will be a tiring experience for you.

Best wishes

Tattoo Man UK

Normal?

by ShanB - 2015-02-24 04:02:24

I just had a pacemaker put in 11 days ago. My cardiologist set the peramitors to 60 for the low and 150 for the high end. I think 150 is way too high a Heartrate. Maybe yours is set for a high setting too so the pacer doesn't kick in to lower it until it reaches that high peramitor.
Hope you get it worked out.
Shannon

Shannon

by Tracey_E - 2015-02-24 05:02:30

The high end is for when we are exercising. It's a max, not a resting rate. The pm can't lower the rate when we go fast on our own. All it can do is add beats when we are too slow. When the heart goes too fast, it just watches.

atrial vs ventricular pacing

by Tracey_E - 2015-02-24 12:02:26

It sounds like you have av block? If that's the case, then your sinus node is working normally but the signal doesn't make it to the ventricles. When the atria beats but the ventricles do not, the pm kicks in with ventricular pacing up to 130 bpm, which is your upper limit. In this case, your atria is setting the pace and the pm is just making sure the ventricles keep up. So you are pacing, but the pm is not making you go that fast, it's all you.

70 is your lower limit and applies to atrial pacing. This means that if your atrial/sinus rate drops below 70, the pm will kick in with atrial pacing. It's unlikely you are pacing atrial 110 at rest.

If you have been over 100 for a few days, I would check in with your dr.

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You have a 25 year mortgage on your device.

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