How to know if op was successful

Recover well and I hope your Ejection Fraction improves with time

by Gemita - 2021-01-26 15:55:28

Sandoval,

1.  How do you know if you are synchronised?  I would say go by how you feel.  Is your heart quiet, steady, beating regularly or do you feel any adverse symptoms?  These would be signs of dyssynchrony although it may still be too early to know while your heart is settling but go by how you feel is a good indicator of how efficiently you are being paced.  

2.  Don't like the sound of this.  On discharge I would expect, together with my discharge papers, a copy of my pacemaker/ICD ID information, giving essential details like reason for ICD, serial no of ICD, model, your name, address, implant centre, doctor's name, lead information, pacing settings.  A proper ID card should be sent to you in due course from the hospital, pacemaker manufacturer but I was sent home with a sheet of paper and a pacemaker package giving all this ID information.

Take good care Sandoval and I would ring them tomorrow.  With an ICD I am surprised you were not given this information.  They have failed in their care in my opinion by not providing this. 

Time to Recover

by heartu - 2021-01-26 17:11:33

Yes, give yourself time to recover. I had an echo done 6 months after the procedure which showed no change in EF. EP reprogrammed my CRTD and 6 months later my EF is now 40 - 45. I understand some people have better initial outcomes than others. I hope to see futher improvement if possible.

Success or not

by sandoval - 2021-01-26 17:43:34

So it's a slow process then if it took you a year. Guess I'll have to ask when I go back after 6 weeks for the "router" that goes by the bed.

Success or not

by Gemita - 2021-01-26 18:15:59

Yes can take up to a year to see whether improvements are likely to occur but we are all individual and you may have early good results.  Many have.  I am surprised you weren't sent home with any monitoring equipment.

Success or not

by sandoval - 2021-01-26 19:38:26

Yes Gemita it was a strange day - what with 1 nurse asking if I'd shaved my groin, the other nurse asking what a CRT D was and then the phone call when I got home to stop Apixaban for 5 days and this was Hammersmith hospital which is known for its Heart surgery. I was half  expecting the op to be cancelled due to covid so at least that didn't happen.

Success or not

by Aberdeen - 2021-01-27 06:39:05

Sandoval, I had a CRT-p pacemaker implanted in May 2020. I am surprised you were not offered a monitor when you left hospital. I have a Medtronic monitor beside my bed.Also I was told that I would have a echocardiogram two months later.

How do feel?Do you feel better?  Fortunately at my echocardiogram my EF had improved greatly.

Good luck and I wish you well!

Success or not

by sandoval - 2021-01-27 09:07:32

Hi Aberdeen, wtih lockdown etc it's too early for me to say much. I wasn't on my knees when I went in so I don't feel any different. I contacted  them and it seems the details of the CRTD are sent to me in the post and I get the monitor when I go for my first check up. There were 3 of us there having the op and we all left with nothing so maybe it depends on the hospital. With my low EF i am keen to get an echo but will go private if it's not offered. £150 isn't too bad.

The goal

by PacedNRunning - 2021-02-03 00:47:06

the goal  is to pace100% of the time. If they are able to pace you 100% of the time that is step one. Next step is to repeat an ECHO in 6 mos and see if pacing100% is helping improve your condition