MEDTRONIC DUAL CHAMBER PM

I had a dual chamber Medtronic pacemaker implanted Nov  2019.  IMMEDIATELY (a few hours) after it was implanted by normal blood pressure rose to 190/110.  It stayed that way in the hospital until the next day despite intervenous BP meds.  The hospital released me the next day when my BP went down to 140/90.  Several hours later it went up to 160/110 and has remained very high , sometimes as high as 230/120.  I walk for exercise 4-5 miles 5 days a week, watch my salt intake. I have zero confirence in my cardiologists whom I have seen severaly times in the past two months for this problem.  Cardiologist have no answer and have not changed my BP med.  I am very frustrated and darn right scared.  Any input would be greatly appreciaated.

4 Comments

HIGH BP

by Gemita - 2020-01-21 15:22:12

Joey,

I sympathize.  My hubby had a period where his BP just would not come down immediately following PM implant.  He had many med changes all to no avail.  What I noticed (being an arrhythmia sufferer myself) was that when he was in AF his blood pressure was very very unstable and could plummet as well as increase to levels much as you describe.  Has your team investigated whether an arrhythmia is present and might be the cause for your high BP??

Sometimes too after pacemaker implant when our heart rate is supported and increased by our pacemaker, we may find our BP increases too, temporarily.  Mine did and I have very very low blood pressure normally.  Nonetheless 230/120 is dangerous territory and needs attention.  Maybe ask for a referral to a hypertension clinic or go through A&E/ER for some urgent help ?

What are you using for BP measurement ?  Sometimes automatic BP machines are not very accurate if we try to take our BP during an arrhythmia like AF.  In the meantime, I would cut out salt completely and find another cardiologist who will listen.  I do hope for the very best

High BP

by Joey - 2020-01-22 10:06:59

Thank you Gemtia for your useful info.  I measure my BP using Omron cuff type and take a second reading with Omron intelli sense which goes around the upper arm.  Both consistently show very similar readings.  I have an appointment today with the PM Lab.  If they continue to ignore the high BP  (this morning it was 212/111) I am searching  for a responsible doctor.  I called Medtronic yesterday and explain the problem .  Their response was that the PM only controls electrical impulses. They did not have an answer for the high BP.  At this point I think I made the wrong decision to have a PM for A fib.  I think an ablation would have been better.

Joey

High BP

by Joey - 2020-01-22 10:10:01

Thank you Gemtia for your useful info.  I measure my BP using Omron cuff type and take a second reading with Omron intelli sense which goes around the upper arm.  Both consistently show very similar readings.  I have an appointment today with the PM Lab.  If they continue to ignore the high BP  (this morning it was 212/111) I am searching  for a responsible doctor.  I called Medtronic yesterday and explain the problem .  Their response was that the PM only controls electrical impulses. They did not have an answer for the high BP.  At this point I think I made the wrong decision to have a PM for A fib.  I think an ablation would have been better.

Joey

High BP

by Gemita - 2020-01-22 10:40:59

Joey, your immediate concern is your high BP. Have you always suffered from this, since it is a strong risk factor for AF and if you can get this under control you may reduce your episodes.

It is true the pacemaker cannot bring down heart rate or BP. It can stop heart rate from falling but does nothing for BP, nor can it prevent high heart rates unless we have a PM that is capable of shocking heart back into rhythm (this is usually for dangerous ventricular arrhythmias and electrical problems).

Joey you sound really uncertain why you have a pacemaker and this is worrying and you need to see another doctor for clarification. Pacemakers cannot fix AF but they can certainly help pace us out of any pausing, slow, irregular rhythms and prevent our heart rates from falling. My AF control has improved so much with my PM so do not give up and when you find the right doctor you will be so much better. An ablation will still be possible even with a pacemaker, so all is not lost but give pacemaker time to settle in. It is still early days - mine took several months for everything to settle down and now I feel better than I have felt in years.  Meanwhile I would still advise you go to A&E/ER - to get your AF/BP under firm control if you don't get help at the PM clinic

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