new battery needed

My situation, I have a st judes icd/pacer and the tech. Said I apparently have a lead with a issue maybe a break its the one at the bottem of the heart., I have HOCM. Also.. I'm my battery needs changed sometime soon., I have a 3mth apt scheduled. My question is will they leave my same device, and change out the battery like you do a watch. My current icd seems like the size of a beeper,?? The lead?, now is that a hard thing to fix and. Is that a dangerous procedure? Do they remove the old one??

2 Comments

ICD Btry & Lead problems

by donr - 2012-09-21 08:09:14

Daisy: They change out the entire ICD. It cannot be opened, so you will get a whole new device. I've read all your posts, & it seems like yours is about 5 yrs old. Sounds reasonable for an ICD/PM. Especialy if it does much pacing for you.

As to the lead: When the ICD is being exchanged, they will check the lead very carefully for its eectricaproperties. If there is a fracture INSIDE the vein or heart, they cannot physicaly examine it. Whether they remove it or not will be determined by how much space there is inside the vein. If there is plenty of space to add another, new lead, they will just do that.

A lead extraction is a serious procedure. At this stage of lead life - my guess is that they are well over 5 yrs old, since your profile says you are on your second device - they are most likely well encapsulated in tissue & fastened quite securely to the vein wall. That requires a special laser cutter shaped into a ring that they slide over the lead & sowly work it down along the lead, slowly cutting it loose. I call it a "Roto Rooter" because it performs about the same function. They only do this procedure as a last resort.

You asked is it a dangerous procedure. Far more dangerous than a simple lead insertion, but nowhere near as dangerous as an open heart procedure. According to the documents I have read, the mortality rate for a lead extraction when performed by an experienced surgeon is about 1%. Not a risk to take for a truly elective procedure, but insignificant when looked at from the standpoint of a necessity for life.

Depending on your overal health, they may just elect to move your device to the other side & install two new leads in that vein to avoid the roto rooter job. That's going to be a call made by your surgeon.

Don

my new pacer

by daisy41763@yahoo.com - 2012-09-28 04:09:52

Thanks Don, for so much information! I have only had my initial icd device and this will be my first replacement! Now my question is, what kind of device should I get? Is there one device better than another??

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Do feel free to contact the manufacturer of your device. I have found them to be quite helpful when I have had questions and concerns.