Pacemaker Manufacturer

I have a Medtronic pacemaker

by Gemita - 2020-10-28 15:37:09

but there are members here with Biotronik pacing systems.  Why do you ask ?

Biotronik

by Ms.Cryer - 2020-10-28 17:24:15

I have a biotronik pacemaker 

St. Jude

by Marybird - 2020-10-28 17:53:33

I have a St. Jude (Abbott) pacemaker.

Boston Scientific

by crustyg - 2020-10-28 19:48:42

I have a Boston Scientific PM.

Pacemaker Manufacturers

by Marybird - 2020-10-29 13:29:35

I'd bet that all the different types of pacemakers ( of which I read Medtronic, St. Jude, and Biotronics are the major players in terms of the number of folks who have these devices) are well represented by the members of this exclusive club. 

My EP didn't mention the manufacturer of the pacemaker to me( just mentioned it would be a dual chamber) before he implanted it, and I'm not sure my sister's did either before hers was implanted (though hers was an emergency as she had passed out and had a HR of 38 which didn't come up after that). She has a Medtronic, as does my daughter. 

I was informed by the office staff who made the arrangements with the hospital for my implant that it would be a St. Jude. But I didn't know enough about pacemakers to have any input as to what I got, and figured the doc had his own reasons for his choices, and this one has worked out well for me. They aren't tied into St. Jude pacemakers though as I see the clinic has interrogation devices from any number of different manufacturers.

I'd guess this is pretty much the norm, ie, the docs choose the pacemakers. From others' posts here it seems that a reasonable EP will consider a knowledgeable patients' input, including information on their lifestyle, including their exercise level as this would be very much impacted by pacemaker features and activity (settings).

Choice of pacemaker

by Gemita - 2020-10-29 14:41:24

Marybird,

No the pacemaker manufacturer was not mentioned at the time of my consultation either, although I was given a pacemaker booklet to take away to read.  There was so much to take in I recall and all I heard too was that I would be getting a dual chamber pacemaker.  I had no deep understanding about the different models available, the different manufacturers, how the pacemaker would work, how many settings would need to be programmed, how long battery/leads would last and so on.  All these details are still being learnt!!  I was just told about the implant procedure, risks involved etc.  Also I was facing having to make a decision about further treatment for my condition, after being given several options.   A lot to take in all at once and being told that the immediate treatment choice had to be mine was such a responsibility. 

I would have needed a degree in "pacing" to understand what to ask for at the time of my consultation.  It seems my hospital in London is mainly using Medtronic devices.  Seems a popular brand.  Hindsight is a great thing, but would I have done anything differently?  I don't think so.  I did my best at the time and I am happy to be where I am now.  My quality of life has improved, so I feel I have made the right decision with my treatment.   Now I need to understand what has been set up in my pacemaker and how to get the most out of pacing.  Work in progress !!

Still Learning Too!

by Marybird - 2020-10-29 21:19:29

Ah Gemita, learning about my little titanium buddy and what it does is still a work in progress for me too. And there is still lots I don't understand. 

I think I may have gotten that little "Living With Your Pacemaker" booklet they give out to everyone as part of the welcome package after my pacer was implanted, when the rep left the (as it turned out), already paired monitor in the box on the hospital bedside stand with no explanations. I was a bit groggy so I didn't ask any questions (other than "huh"????) but thought I'd figure out how to get the information later, which I did. 

I learned recently that the pacermaker really does communicate with the monitor, and the monitor really does transmit pacer reports to somewhere they 're looked at occasionally, and occasionally sends alerts as indicated. It's not just taking space on the nightstand.

I still need to figure out just exactly what a pacer does during atrial tachycardia when it "switches modes", other than pacing the atria which in my case it usually does. "Excessive mode switching" associated with atrial tachycardia was the alert received by my cardiologist- I knew I had been having some but doing my best to ignore it. But it seems that following his instructions to increase the metoprolol has helped quite a bit, making both me and my pacemaker happy again. 

Mode Switch setting

by Gemita - 2020-10-29 22:16:48

Oh Mary, we seem to be at the same stage in our development.   I have reached Mode Switching too and there seems to be plenty of that going on!  How to calm it is what I am working on too.  Bisoprolol is doing its best for me, but there has to be a better way.  So pleased Metoprolol is helping you.

I have recently asked for my pacemaker records so I can study how my Mode Switch is generally triggered (which arrhythmia, at what rate, duration, frequency), how it switches back to normal pacing mode, how frequently it switches  (annually, several thousand times I believe because of the in and nature of my rhythm disturbances).  This sudden frequent change in mode/pacing can be very de-stabilising - I am sure it uses plenty of power!  I will try to study the sensitivity settings to see if they can be adjusted to smooth out the process.  I intend asking my EP lots of questions about this important feature.

Biotronik

by CLE - 2020-10-30 19:15:03

I have a Biotronik PM. only had it for 7 days. So far, so good