trying to understand

I am new to this site, and wanted to explain what is going on with my pacemaker and make somebody else can help me understand what is going on.

I had my first pacemaker for 5 years and it had to be replaced because a lead broken and was on the recall list by Guidant. My second pacemaker has been in now for just over a year. The new pacemaker is a Biotronic. I currantly have another broken A lead. My current doctor ran some tests on me and said he does not understand why I ever needed a pacemaker, my heart rate is normal.

The doctor is wanting to take the pacemaker out the first week of August.

I guess what I am asking is why would a doctor put a pacemaker in if I did not need one.

Clarence

4 Comments

Need for pacemaker

by ElectricFrank - 2008-07-10 02:07:47

Clarence,
There are 3 possibilities.
1. Your heart has recovered from whatever caused you to need a pacer.
2. You didn't need one originally.
3. The need was in response to something that happens only intermittently and the current doc hasn't seen it yet.

One possibility that others on this site have used is to have the pacemaker turned off, but left implanted for a few months. If it is needed it can easily be turned on. If not it could be removed later.

frank

woohooo Smitty!

by joy1 - 2008-07-10 08:07:17

Hi Clearance,

I have an ICD and it's a bit different but the pacing part isn't. I had my unit turned off a year ago and am quite happy with it off. As stated above, the pacing or telemetry part of the unit can not be completely shut down. I have been debating with myself whether or not to have my unit removed or not. If It's taken out, I want the entire thing removed but I have been told the damage is done now and that the problems which have developed as a result of my implant are permanent.
What you choose to do is your choice but get another opinion, it can't hurt.

Smitty, I love you! Your comments about your cynicism and the doctors having to earn your respect made me feel great. I'm so glad I'm not alone in my feelings and thoughts regarding my own implant.

Joy

Need For Pacemaker

by SMITTY - 2008-07-10 12:07:56

Hello Clarence,

Frank has given you some excellent possibilities. I do have a comment about what he said and that is I would like to think that Frank's #3 possibility is what may have happened to you.

As for what Frank said about getting the pacemaker turned off, I am one of the people that had that done. I was having a problem with mine for which there seemed to be no answers and I simply said "turn it off." The doctor protested, but he turned it off and my problem went away. Due to other heart problems it was restarted almost 3 years later. That was when I learned that my pacemaker had never actually being turned off.

So far as I know they cannot flip a switch and turn one off as we do a light. They can be reset to where they will not come on unless absolutely needed. In my case that meant the low set point was at 30 beats per minute. So if my heart rate dropped below 30 BPM my pacemaker would sustain life until I could get assistance. My PM is Medtronic and I do no know if what I got is possible with all brands.

But I certainly agree with Frank that unless the PM is causing you problems, maybe your new doctor should use this "turn it off" approach for a few months to see if you do, at anytime, need a PM. While mine was off I never knew the thing was there.

I have one other comment which Frank is too much of a gentlemen to mention. But I am very cynical when it comes to pacemaker implants because I think many, many are being implanted when they are not needed. When you look at the initial cost of a PM and the upkeep cost, these things can be cash cows for many unscrupulous doctors. But, we have no choice but to put our lives in the hands of these doctors and hope for the best. My cynicism probably makes me a very poor PM patient, but I wasn't always so cynical. In fact, until about 10 to 15 years ago, I held doctors in the highest esteem, but not anymore. I now sit back and let them earn my respect.

I'm sure my saying how I feel about doctors makes the entire world breath easier, so no one has to thank me for expreessing my opinion..

I wish you the best,

Smitty

Turning it off

by ElectricFrank - 2008-07-11 02:07:50

I agree with Smitty. What I called off amounts to setting the pacer so it never encounters a condition that it would respond to. There may be pacers that can be turned off though. I've seen something somewhere about having the pacer turned off during an EP study so the EP can use his probe to explore the heart. I wonder how they do that?
Too bad this came up tonight. I just had a checkup today and could have asked.

frank

You know you're wired when...

A thirty-day guarantee is not good enough.

Member Quotes

It is just over 10 years since a dual lead device was implanted for complete heart block. It has worked perfectly and I have traveled well near two million miles internationally since then.