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Lower limits of PM

Can anyone offer an answer to this question??

My pacemaker is set to prevent my HR from going below 60 BPM

I was diagnosed with SSS along with bradycardia.

So does this mean that my PM only kicks in when my HR wants to drop below 60BPM?? When my heart rate is above 60 BPM is my PM just monitoring and not actually helping my heart beat??

My cardiologist said that my PM is simply acting like an insurance policy. Is this kind of what he meant. l

 

Thank y...

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What Questions should I ask?

I'm going to have my first big follow up appointment post-surgery with my cardiologist in a couple weeks. I'm working on compiling a list of questions and concerns in preparation. Is there anything important that I should be asking? Also, is there anything I should prepare in relation to questions they may ask me? 

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Pacing percentages and AV block

OK, I admit I'm confused. I am coming up on one year with a dual chamber Medtronic PM...Implanted due to complete AV block and since diagnosed as 2nd and 3rd degree heart block.

My 3 month transmission was sent on 4/30/2021 and I just heard from my clinic on my results. I was told that Atrial pacing - 24.5% and Ventricular pacing- 1.2%.

No arrhythmias.


My confusion is on this..If I have some degree of AV block, shouldn't the ventricular pacing be the highest pe...

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Switching my PM to an MVP mode

Hello. My EP has determined that I developed pacemaker mediated syndrome and need to consider a biventricular pacer upgrade.

Before having that procedure I had inquired about reprogramming my device to see if more pacing can be helpful,  he thought it may not be a bad idea to switch my PM to an MVP mode.

 

Has anyone had these procedures and seen benefits or problems with them, thanks in advance for your advice and thoughts.

 

 

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Dizziness and fatigue

I have had a pacemaker for about 3 months. The first two months were several setting adjustments and then I started to feel like myself again. Recently I have become dizzy, tired and feeling chest pressure after working out. I have shared my symptoms with the techs from Boston Scientific and they couldn't really adjust the pacemaker to accommodate for these new symptoms. I was told that a 44 year old active female like myself is a difficult patient to figure out. It seems like they don...

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ATS

The pacer techs are relunctant to tell me anything about check-ups other than expected battery life and I don't see doc until July to ask him. I do get an online report so I am seeking help on understanding it. 

There is a line called Atrial Tachy Statistic Percent Time in Mode Switch. On my remote check report from today it says 10%. Is this the amount of time I am in atrial fib? My underlying rhythm is sinus rhythm, second degree Type 1 block with an underlying...

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A very simple question

if you have some level of AV block from long PR interval to full heart block does anybody know how it is decided what the Paced AV delay should be set at?

Is it individual or is there an agreed optimum Paced AV in general?

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New settings following exercise stress test

Hello All,

Well today I had my exercise stress test and download.

I was hoping my block was not present during exercise but unfortunately it was. The AAI-DDD mode was not really working and probably explained some of my symptoms. In fact even though AAI-DDD was suppose to minimise pacing (it actually only intervenes if 2 or more Ventricular beats are missed in 4 atrial beats) I was still at 80% pacing.

I must have been constantly switching between AAI and DDD. I suspect that...

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questions about the medtronic monitoring app

Pacemaker implanted this April 7. Medtronic tech called me Friday April 23 and wanted me to get this app from Apple for my iPhone or iPad for communication with Medtronic and the cardiologists. I don't have an Apple ID and so have to wait for Apple to give me a log in to proceed. So I went to the App store and read some reviews of this heartcare app. Really scary. Around half the reviews were quite negative and most had the same range of complaints... serious connectivity problems... from...

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no insurance no device interrogation

i want to know if im at life risk i have not check my pacemaker in almost 8 months due to no insurance i want to know if i should be ok so far i check it every 6 months and always no issues i want to know if the tech just checks or do they change settings.

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pacemaker checkup

When i was at the Pacemaker  Checkup this morning.  Everything was good.

Had changed to another Heart Dr's office.  Asked about the problem i had with the "talk to TV remote".  Said that incident did not appear.  Said i might try it again but this time sit down first.  In no rush to try again.  All though it was easy.  Except the voice did not always understand  what i said and there certainly cannot be any back ground noise.

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Electrophysiology Doc

I'm 100% paced and have had my pm since 2012.  I'm not satisfied with my current doc.  I live in 21044 zip in Columbia MD.  I'd appreciate a recommendation.

And, are there any improvements or innovations I should be looking for in my next pm? 
thanks, 
Liz

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cardio dr and pacemaker clinic

Saw a cardiologist this morning, said it was ok to switch to her and will see her  at least once a year for now.  Did draw me a diagram of what i have Aflutter(was not aware of that), Afib.  Mentioned of course blood thinners, Watchman and could have surgery to block the clots from going where?

  Also am now having my first yearly checkup for the pacemaker implanted Aug 2019.  At the pacemaker clinic, in the same office as the cardio and EP.    I...

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Pacemaker changes ?

Good morning all ! i had an MRI yesterday on my foot, an issue I've been dealing with for 20+ years. The Medtronic rep came to put my pm into " safe " mode. I told him and the MRI tech that I guess I was  anxious -rapid heart rate - not with the MRI- but with anything pertaining to the PM. The rep made his adjustments and they took me in to get the MRI. I was getting hooked with etc. when the rep asked how long my procedure would take and he was told about an hour and...

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Managed Ventricular Pacing

Second opinion from you super informed people.

I have MVP active and have a combination of 2:1 heart block, Wenkebach (longer and longer AV gaps leading to a loss of a Ventricular beat)  and a PR interval as long as 400ms. 

Medtronic state the following:

MVP does not wait until the next A-event to detect loss of AV conduction (it learns the patient’s conduction to best adapt to it, similar to Search AV+). If the V-sense is late, relative to recent AV...

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Settings parameters emailed today!

My parameter settings were emailed to me today.

I need to think about what my problems are and then ask a few questions to the EP.

What has completely confused me is that rate response is actually on when I was told is wasn't.

It has an adl response of 3 and activity threshold of Low an Adl set point of 46 and UR setpoint of 187.

I have 2nd degree heart block and a very long PR interval does this need turning off?

Could this in anyway be making exercise harde...

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First visit after having PM fitted - Feeling 'drunk'!

Hi all

I had my PM fitted on 8.3.21. My Diagnosis is for sinus bradycardia (resting HR about 45) and chronotropic incompetence. I know that on implantation, my basic HR setting was set to 60bpm and my mode is set to AAIR-DDDR. At this stage, I dont know for sure what other settings were made. Several people were kind enough to reply to my initial post and, as a result, I have a whole host of questions to ask at my follow-up appointment on the 29th March.

In the two weeks or more s...

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Finding the right adjustment

WIth my intial implantation (Aug 2020) it took until October to get the settings so I felt "good". After that I was feeling way less symptoms (I had been dizzy from sun up to sun down). In that transition I changed offices and the new place found a second degree type II block that my PM wasn't set for. Things were good.

In December 2020 I had to have a pocket revision (already) and still wasn't back to work full gusto. Now that I am, I'm having a heck of time getti...

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Understanding Pacemaker Reorts

Can anyone tell me what is the significance of AS-VS?  I know that it stands for Atrial Sensing-Ventricular Sensing, and the meaning of Sensing seems pretty clear, if it's the common english meaning of the word. But is it as simple as it seems, and shldn't Atrial Sensing and Ventricular Sensing be two different figs? I want to confirm if it means an event that triggers PM action, as in P-Pacing? 

K. Gopal Rao

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PM replacement

I need some advice on an unnusual situation. My PM is going on 9 years and for the past 3 checkups over 18 months - same story, good for 6 mos come back in 3 mos. After last check up I never met with the electrophysiologist - but his assistant scheduled me for replacement. On the day of surgery I was prepped (shave, IV etc) and taken to cath lab for total prep and start of "happy juice". The PM company tech now advises the electro Doc that it has 6 months to go and Medicare will not...

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You know you're wired when...

You read consumer reports before upgrading to a new model.

Member Quotes

So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.