Pacemaker monitoring

Hi

I had a pacemaker fitted for heart block 7 weeks ago and feel better overall. However I am still experiencing the odd feeling of a hiccup in my chest each day. 

The cardiologist told me my pacemaker will detect iany arrhythmias. I know the pacemaker will only kick in if I have a low pulse rate due to the heart block but will the pacemaker pick up everything in terms of monitoring? Does an arrhythmia have to be over a certain threshold? I am worried that the frequency of these sensations is increasing and it may develop into more as I also have a history of SVT

Thanks in advance

3 Comments

Recording

by AgentX86 - 2019-07-04 19:56:41

Pacemakers implanted for heart block don't work quite that way.  I assume your heart block is intermittent (second degree - type 2), since you have a pacemaker (not first degree or second degree type-1) and it's not always pacing (third degree). A heart block is the interruption of the electrical signal from the atria to the ventricles.  Your pacemaker just completes this path, and only when your heart's natural condution path (AV node) isn't working.

The answer to your questions is a little more complicated and there really isn't enough information to know what your "thump in the night" is.  Your pacemaker might pick it up but that's model dependent.  Mine won't record PVCs, for instance, unless there is a string of at least five (threshold is programmable but five is the minimum), without a "normal" beat.  I had to catch my heart acting up and do a remote transmission while it was happening, for them to see the bigeminy PVCs (and to figure out what was going on). So the answer of whether it will detect and record any arrhythmias is "maybe".  It will record statistics on them, however ("burden rate", etc.).  YMMV

recording

by Tracey_E - 2019-07-05 09:47:45

They don't pick up everything like a holter or ekg, but they can be programmed to pick up some arrythmias like afib. They also record every beat you pace.  

Reply to my post re monitoring

by Torosay - 2019-07-06 17:54:21

Thanks 

Yes I understand how the pacemaker works for heart block. Thanks for confirming that. But it's just that the consultant said it would pick up arrythmias too, so I wondered if there was a threshold. I guess I will have to keep my eye on it and ask again about the threshold if it depends on model tyoe? 

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