results of March 2024 quarterly remote transmission

Detailed..

by USMC-Pacer - 2024-03-20 15:46:48

You get some great details in your reports. Mine documents battery life, type of device, leads ect.. The only mention of anything I can understand is my CRT synchronization percentage.

It's great that you are improving!

thanks

by new to pace.... - 2024-03-20 16:09:19

Thanks USMC-Pacer.  After i recieve the email that the transmission was sucessful.  I call the Pacemaker Clinic and ask for a copy of the log events and summary.  Have now learned that is all i need.  As i cannot read the graphs.

What bother"s me is that the Pacemake Clinic's(they are in the same building and floor) computer cannot send the information to the Heart Centers computer. Then i could log into that site an see the report and print it if i want.

new to pace

Remotes..

by USMC-Pacer - 2024-03-20 22:10:42

I do most of my uploads remotely from my phone to a rhythm management company in DC, they send the results to my clinic here in Boston, and then I have a report sent to my clinics portal within hours for me to view. So, that works great, but it doesn't include much detail.

This is from my last report:

Normal CRT- D remote results.
Presenting rhythm: AS/BIVP
Normal sensing and pacing thresholds. Normal lead impedances.
Good battery voltage with 9.2 years of battery capacity remaining.
AF burden <0.1%
Ap= 0.2%, CRT pacing= 99.8%.
Normal Optivol thresholds.
OAC status: not on OAC

Along with that is all the info about the device, leads, battery..ect. 

My clinic is great with responses to my questions, but I have no idea when my next clinic appt. will be. I guess no news is good news :)

I have my first echo in about a year in April so we'll see how that goes.

Test results

by piglet22 - 2024-03-21 06:11:59

It's good to hear new to pace that you get such good care and rightly so.

I've moaned about it before, but it's a different story here in the UK.

Not all UK patients have the same experience as I do, but getting that kind of reassuring information is something to dream about.

Recently, they dropped F2F altogether and relied on annual remote transmissions with a follow up phone call. Now I do a transmission, but the follow up phone call has gone as well.

With apparently a year left on the battery and having had a battery failed replacement, I drew the line at that and requested a F2F.

This was granted, but it does show that they can do F2F and are possibly experimenting with groups of patients to see how far they can cut back the service.

If I wanted to see all the results, I would have to ask for them and based on previous experience, that might not go down too well.

Of course not everyone would want or need to see every detail, but when they don't tell you that you are in the last 12 months of of battery life, I think things have gone too far.

This is on the same day that that our junior doctors have voted 98% in favour of continued strikes action. Who will suffer? Not the politicians or the hospital management, but thousands of ordinary patients.

results

by new to pace.... - 2024-03-21 07:36:00

Sorry to hear Piglet22 that your doctors still want to stike.  This is why it is important to know where one is from before answering, as our results and treaments are different.

I am sure not that many want to know their results.  I like to know that what ever i do or take is making a difference.  I know Gemita says it is how we feel not the numbers.  Since i never know when in A-fib.  Only once does my record keeping match.  The time i over indulged with Coffee Ice Cream, oh so good.

I still have the bedside monitor.  Which works just fine with me.

My sister did ask, if i would have a replacement done since i will be old(91) when due. I did not answer her.  Although longevity runs in the family.

new to pace

Amazing results

by Gemita - 2024-03-21 09:53:42

Sorry new to pace.  I meant to answer your post straight away.  Saw cardiologist yesterday and may do a post.  

Although I say it is how we feel that counts and not to worry about those numbers, AF is "my" exception to that rule since if we don’t control it and we allow it to run riot inside our atria, it will soon cause enlarged atria and other damage.  Furthermore, without adequate stroke protection or rate control medication to keep heart rates from running too high, we could quickly get into trouble.

I have to say I don’t know how you do it!  Those results are truly amazing for someone who is controlling her heart rate and stroke risk with diet (including coffee ice-cream) healthy supplements and lifestyle measures alone.  A 1% cumulative atrial arrhythmia burden is low and my doctors wouldn’t be at all concerned. 

I am assuming most of your 64 atrial high rate episodes which triggered mode switching were short lived anyway since your total AF burden is so low for the period reviewed.  I see your detection rate though for AF is more than 162 bpm.  Mine is set higher at 171 bpm, so that makes your % burden figures even more impressive.

It is always interesting to compare our AF data and I have learnt a great deal from your extensive records.  I am on anticoagulation and rate control meds and yet have a similar AF burden to yours.  Not fair at all.  You however have a higher Right Ventricular pacing burden % of nearly 60%.  I am less than 1% at the moment.  I see we both have MVP (managed ventricular pacing) turned on so this should help keep right ventricular pacing to a minimum although clearly you don't seem to be troubled by a high degree of pacing in the right ventricle?  

Please let us know what your Cardiologist recommends.  I expect she will just say, continue to do more of the same - with the occasional treat?

Really Positive News

by SeenBetterDays - 2024-03-22 08:07:41

Hi New to Pace

That's fantastic news that you have seen such improvements.  Like you, I try to minimise medication where possible and it is really encouraging that your dietary changes have contributed to better controlled arrhythmias.  Long may it continue.

Best wishes

Rebecca x