Twin lead pacemaker

Hi all 

I would like to thank everyone for all your help I just have a couple more things I need to know. I am due to have a operation where they damaged the av node and fit a twin wire pacemaker so that the top two chambers of my heart still beat out of time and quiver but the bottom two beat in time with the pacemaker

( can't think of what the op is called at the min ) I was wondering if anybody on here has had this done and does it shorten your life expectancy and how you feel when it's been done IE are there limitations to what you can do 

yours sincerely

Haz 

1 Comments

A/V Ablation

by AgentX86 - 2021-08-08 19:27:55

Yes, as I said in your last thread, I'm in the same situation. I have Aflutter, which is similat to Afib, but different. Where in Afib, the atria beat "randomly", in flutter they litterally flutter, at somethind like 240 to 350bpm, making them useless for pumping blood. Yes, my atria ventricals are paced and the atria do their thing, uselessly. This is known as A/V dyssynchrony.

It feels great. I'm back "in rhythm" and can sleep again. Whether it'll shorten one's life, or not, is  rather irrelevent (I don't believe , by itself, that it will) because the quality of life is so much better. If you didn't do it for a better QOL, you probably shouldn't have done it.

I haven't been limited in any way but at soon-to-be 69, I have no interest in running a marathon or competetive sports [*]. I still work (but will retire at the end of September) and walk 10mi every day.

The only real limitation is that you will be dependent on your pacemaker and perhaps to the extent that you can't live, or live long, without it. Listen to your EP very carefully. It's especially important for us.

[*] The atria give about a 20% "kick" to the ventrical output because of the faster filling of the ventricas (their whole purpose). Since we no longer need to chase down our bambi before dinner, that 20% is "excess capacity". That "kick" is really only needed for extreme physical activity where the competition would have the advanage with thid additional performance. It's simiar to a turbo-charger. Driving arround town, you probably don't need it.  When trying to keep up with a Ferrari, it would be useful. Moral of the story: don't chase Ferraris.

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