Are all pacemaker defibrillators the same size?

best is subjective

by Tracey_E - 2019-01-22 21:15:01

There are no bad ones on the market, they are all dependable and thoroughly tested. There aren't more than a small handful of companies to choose from- Medtronic, St Judes, Biotronik, Boston Scientific. Each company has a few models so it's not like shopping for a car where there are dozens to choose from. Most of us would do just fine with any of them and they are very comparable. They are very similar in size and function. The biggest difference between them is in rate response, how it gets your rate up on exertion. That may or may not be something you will use. 

ICD's will be larger than pacemakers. Smaller tends to have a smaller battery, so does that make it better or worse? Depends what your needs and priorities are. My first one was the smallest on the market at the time. My doctor chose it because I was young and very underweight so he wanted to be able to make it inconspicuous.  It was very inconspicuous, but it didn't last very long so I had to have it replaced sooner. So was that the best one? 

Doctors tend to work with one or two manufacturers, not all of them. They are not contracted, they make a choice who they want to use and they develop relationships with the company and their reps. Devices are only as good as the programming, so you want one your doctor knows inside and out, whatever that brand is. If you trust your doctor enough to let them do the surgery, then trust them to make a good choice for you. You can tell them your preference is smaller, you can ask why they are choosing the one they choose, but they know these things much better than we are ever going to learn from the internet. Don't overthink it and have faith in your doctor.