100& dependent on device that has had numerous issues but would this be wise or be helpful

This may be an odd question,  I have my divice placed in 2014 by a doctor who should not have been doing it to put it nicely, so the first few years were misrable with a new doctor trying to correct everything that he did including removing it and replacing it because he placed in a super bad spot. Now present day we are finding out that the previous doc may have nicked the top lead because it is failing and they are having to up the voltage to it on a regular basis.  I will be due for replacement (if all goes without battery drain) within the next 9-10 months.  So here is my question and I am sorry if its been asked before, but this bothers me everyday.

I know that if my device or lead fails I have zero chance of survival been told that by several doctors alread. (Positive country docs lol)  I live in a rural area that would take the FD 7-30 minutes to get here. My question is Would a external defib be able to keep my heart functioning until they arrived?  I was thinking about getting one ?  

I am sorry for the rambling, oh and as a follow up to that i have one of the pacemakers that were recalled by Saint Jude but will only replace if something happens lol.  

I thank you and appreciate everyone.  Have a great week

2 Comments

AED

by AgentX86 - 2022-04-09 12:34:54

It would unlikely be of any help.  A defibrillator stops the heart in the hopes that it'll restart, in proper sync by itself.  If the heart isn't capable of beating, an AED isn't going to make it work. AEDs are only used in case of a dangerous heart rhythm.  The AED detects VT and VF and will only deliver the jolt if these rhythms are detected.

It's more often than not for you to survive a total pacemaker failure.  The heart has several backup pacing mechanisms.  Depending on where the break is, you may still have an AV ectopic rhythm.  If that's gone, there is also the ventricular pacer.  This is probably too slow for consciousness but it will support life. If neither of these are working, then you are truly dependent.  A total PM failure is exceedingly rare. Should your pacemaker completely  fail, so would you. In any case, you should have a lead in both ventricals.  One would back up the other, at least until you can get to a hospital. As a last resort, CPR could keep you alive for some time. 

I would go to an expert in a large metropolitan area, hopefully a teaching college (that tends to be where the best doctors hang out).  Do not go back to these quacks. Also, removing leads is a specialized and perhaps  dangerous operation and should only be done by a doctor who specializes in this procedure. It's becomign more routine but it still should only be done by an expert.  Too much can go wrong.

failure

by Tracey_E - 2022-04-11 14:09:15

As Agent said, total failure is very unlikely. Even with the St Judes recall (mine is part of this recall also), odds are if it were going to fail, it would depletion which means there are two built in modes before it completely stops. You won't feel the first mode because it's just an alert that shows up on the report, similar to the gas light coming on in the car.  In the second mode, it will pace at a steady rate so you will definitely feel it right away if it goes into this mode. Under normal conditions, each mode lasts 3 months. 

Do you have a home monitor? As long as you have that and a doctor you trust to read the reports in a timely matter, you should be fine. When they get the first alert that it's in elective replacement mode, go ahead and schedule replacement in the next few weeks. I'm on my 5th and have never gone into the second mode with limited function. 

To second Agent's advice, if you need a lead replaced, you want it done by a specialist who does 100+ a year. 

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