Pacemaker Club: Complications

Complications

by CRVHarry
2018-09-07 15:57:05
Surgery & Recovery
1115 views
3 comments

I had a pacemake installed on 8-6-2-18, it started bleeding about 2 weeks ago, rust colored blood, I have seen the doctor 3 differeent times, they re guled it twice, I have devolped a hemamotoma under the pacemake. I am on my second 10 day dose of antiobotic. My doctor says if the bleeding does not stop by next week, he wants me to go back in and have the pacemaker removed from the left side and a new one put in my write side. I am on coumidan because I have a mechanical heart valve. When they intalled my pace maker they never slowed down my coumidan. I feel that played a big part in getting the heamtoma. If he repeates that same process on the right side, wont the same results happen the same way as the left. Is this normal to remove the pacemaker and start it all over again. Any advice

3 Comments

Coumadin

by AgentX86 - 2018-09-07 18:18:52

There's a very good reason that they didn't discontinue your coumadin. Missing as much as a day could set you up for a stroke.

That said, there may be a better but perhaps more expensive alternative, like eliquis or plavix. Ask your EP if one of these would reduce bleeding. I noticed a big difference when my EP switched me from coumadin to Eliquis, though I'm on anticoagulants for AF/AFL, not a heart valve.

cultures?

by Tracey_E - 2018-09-08 15:30:45

Have you had cultures to see if it's infected? If it's infected, it can just as easily get infected on the other side if they don't clear it first. If it's not infected, what would they do differently to make sure the same thing doesn't happen on the other side? Moving it may be your best option, but I'd be asking a lot more questions first.

Eliqiuis and Mechanical Heart Valve

by NiceNiecey - 2018-09-09 05:20:09

I learned this week that Eliquis is contraindicated in people with mechanical heart valves. It sounds like you may have known this already but I wanted to mention it AgentX86 brought it up.