Pacemaker Club: leads and devices

leads and devices

by Wolfy
2020-01-09 16:09:45
General Posting
956 views
2 comments

My first Pacemaker fitted April 2014 was a St Jude (Abbotts) Endurity DR PM2160. Two leads were fitted. Pacesetter St. Jude 1888TC -52 CWM0479 and Pacesetter 1888TC- 58-CWL0527. (last 2 nunbers of each lead have been left out) Soon after i had a Node Ablation.

Is anyone able to identify the lead and device manufacture dates from the above numbers please? Or should there be a seperate ID number? The St Jude (abbott) pacemaker DR PM2160 was replaced Late November 2016.

The replacement was a Boston Scientific-VisionistX4-CRT-P U228. Together with third lead Boston Scientific-Acuity X4 Spira 95. The Pacesetter St Jude 1888TC leads were left in and reused. The origonal leads now in place close to 6 years.

The replacement Boston Scientific U228 device was raised and is now just below the skin. Now both leads and device are pushed against the shoulder bone with any forward or inward arm movement. This is sending a pins and needles sensation down my left arm and the outside of the hand and little finger. Would anyone with knowledge of the Boston Scientific U228 Pacemaker coupled to the St Jude (Abbott) 1888TC leads. Please comment.

It was mentioned in a post the Boston Scientific U228 Pacemaker was recently on recall. By the time i had found this it was to late. I was not contacted or offered a replacement. Most likely this only applies to USA patients and not to those from the UK.?

I have also read that this Boston Scientific Pacemaker is now not recomended to be paired with these old reused St Jude (Abbott) 1888TC leads. What is the reason for this?

Happy new year. Wolfy

2 Comments

leads

by Tracey_E - 2020-01-10 09:54:53

I can't comment on your specific leads but have a few general thoughts..

they will always reuse leads when at all possible. If newer ones connect differently, they use a little connector to make them fit. Leads grow into place and it's a highly specialized surgery to get them out so they will always continue to use a working lead. I'm still using one working lead that was put in in 1994.

Just because it's on a recall list doesn't mean it needs replaced. Mine was on a recall list once, they just did a programming upgrade to fix it.

If the device has shifted and is uncomfortable, it can be repositioned. How much is left on this battery? Sometimes it can wait until the next replacement but if it's really uncomfortable you can ask to have it fixed sooner.

Recalls, device details etc.

by crustyg - 2020-01-10 10:13:04

Hi Wolfy: Tracey_E has made some good points - PM recalls are almost always implemented by firmware upgrades that the interrogator/programmer device will do automatically during a follow-up session. Recall isn't the same as a car recall where they will often have to fit a replacement part. If you ask to have all of your PM information written to a USB-stick (that you provide) at each follow-up session you will be able to see if the firmware has been updated.

There was an issue with BostonSci PMs and third-party leads that could cause issues, especially if Minute Ventilation was enabled, so EP docs were warned about this, and for a while during 2018 many BostonSci PMs had MV disabled to avoid issues before a firmware upgrade was delivered.