Pacemaker Syndrome

I have had a single chamber (right ventricle) PM for 3rd degree AV block that was put in a month ago. Can any of you feel your PM "fire" during the heart pauses? I was told by my pacemaker nurse that some people don't feel it, but others feel palpitations and lightheadedness (what they called pacemaker syndrome). The symptoms are due to asynchrony of ventricle when the PM fires.
I have a 3-month follow-up in late May 2016. For now, when I have these episodes, I will list when they happen. They are a bit unnerving but I guess I'll get used to it. They don't last long.Thanks in advance for your input!

2 Comments

First 90 days

by Theknotguy - 2016-03-17 03:03:08

I'm one of the rare individuals who can feel my afib sessions when they kick off. That's good as I know when I'm in an afib session. That's bad because I know when I'm in an afib session.

For the first 90 days I could sometimes feel a tickle followed by the hard thump of the heartbeat. It is my understanding they increase the voltage on the pacemaker for the first 90 days to help get your heart adjusted to the pacemaker. I may be wrong in that assumption - if I am I'm sure others will jump in and tell me I'm way off base.

Anyway, at the 90 day period I was watching my tech when she turned down the voltage on my pacemaker. Didn't feel a thing and I no longer felt the tickle before getting the hard thump. I'm at 8/10's of a volt to kick off the atrium beat now.

It is also to my understanding they can decrease the voltage on your pacemaker to kick of the atrial heartbeat. It's something to ask your EP.

So while you may have the pacemaker syndrome, I feel there are things they can do if you just ask. If you can't get anywhere with your EP, send a note to your pacemaker company. Maybe you'll get the standard you'll-have-to-ask-your-ep answer, but at least you're doing something.

Hope everything else is going well for you.

pacemaker syndrome

by Tracey_E - 2016-03-17 12:03:55

What you are describing is not my understanding of pacemaker syndrome, and it would be extremely premature to diagnose you with that after one pacer check. I'd ask to see the doc before the end of May.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/159706-overview

With third degree block, you are probably pacing every beat, so what you are feeling is not the pacer firing. Your heart isn't pausing The atria beats normally, the pacer gives the ventricles a fraction of a second to keep up then kicks in with pacing when it doesn't. They can adjust this delay. They can adjust the output. There are all sorts of things to do other than send you home with a cop out pseudo-diagnosis. JHMO

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