Leads becoming dislodged

I was just wondering if a person can tell if or when a lead may become dislodged? Im about 5 weeks postop and I picked up a case of water bottles that was far too heavy and I felt something in my chest strain and have since had a few funny feelings inside. I was just wondering if its possible to be able to feel something different. Thanks, Jean

5 Comments

It depends

by johnc_19 - 2008-09-05 04:09:26

A dislodged lead will often result in erratic PM behavior, skipped beats and/or rapid beats. Keep track of those symptoms and report them if they occur.

Hi,

by Gellia2 - 2008-09-05 08:09:55

What John says.
It really is harder to dislodge a lead than one may think, too. They are physically screwed into the heart wall. After 5 weeks I think it is pretty well scarred in. It's not impossible, of course, but if your symptoms are like what you got the PM for, you should check with your dr. If you feel strange, ask for a phone monitoring test. They could tell then.
I pulled out my first lead before they were the screw type and felt the same as I did before I got the PM i.e. dizzy and irregular beats.
Best of luck to you.
Gellia

Me too

by Snoviper - 2008-09-05 11:09:27

About three weeks post op I lifted a computer and it felt like my PM moved, I have mine implanted under my left breast. I made an appointment and they said my atrial lead is really high. They weren't sure if it was coming loose. The surgeon said to wait a little bit because the readings can go up and down in the beginning. If you think there is an issue make an appointment with your Doctor. The can usually tell if there is an issue from running tests on the PM.

Broken Lead

by SMITTY - 2008-09-05 12:09:37

Hello J C,

If I understand pacemakers correctly, when you break or dislodge a lead, your "feeling" will revert to the way you were feeling before you got the pacemaker. In other words if you had a slow heart rate that was boosted to some number by the pacemaker you would go back to that low rate. That is because a lead is a two-way device. Before the pacemaker will send an impulse to make your heart beat it checks to see if the heart's natural pacemaker is going to do that and depending on what it finds it will or will not send an impulse. So, again if I'm correct, with a broken lead the pacemaker cannot get the required information for your heart and it will do nothing.

So far as I know it will take a pacemaker checkup to answer your question.

One other thing, for it is worth, I agree with Gellia, that after 5 weeks your leads should be permanently in place.

Smitty

My leads have been displaced twice...

by swilson10 - 2008-09-06 02:09:28


Hi Jean,
I agree with the above posts that you will likely need to follow up with your doctor to be sure. My experiences have been that you may return to some pre-implant symptoms, you may have no symptoms at or you may experience a small/ erratic pulsing feeling in your upper abdominal area depending on which lead is displaced. The first time my atrial lead was displaced was right after implant (within the first 4 weeks) the second time my atrial lead became dislodged was nearly 18 months after the initial repair. The tech can usually figure out if the lead is not working properly just by using the interrogation device, but ultimately your doctor may send you for a chest x-ray to confirm if there is a placement problem with the lead. Good Luck!!

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