Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Need a new EP for Abbott Device

How do we find a new EP for an Abbott device? Really unhappy with current situation.

Made to wait 6 weeks after original insert procedure resulted in an atrial lead that detached 10 minutes after surgery. Second lead set to 40 bpm while we wait. Foggy, tired, and confused why the wound had to "heal" 6 weeks.

Medicare fraud has be suggested. Hospitals are penalized for readmissions less than 30 days. Sigh.

Trust is lost. Current EP knows we are angry and won't r...

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Question on Minute Ventilation and Cpap

Saw EP on Tuesday and he changed my PM settings.  This is the first time my settings have ever been changed.  He upped the low rate to 70bpm and turned on Rate Response and Minute Ventilation.

I have intermittent Afib but since the settings change 48 hours ago I have been in Afib a good portion of it.  My bouts of Afib are normally less than one hour.

TUES nite woke up to go to the bathroom and was in Afib and stayed in Afib until about an hour after I got up in the...

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Settings

Recently had adjustments to pacemaker due to palpitations and shortness of breath but no details. The tech just said they were “juicing it up”. No change to base rate which is 60 bpm. The same day I felt more alert but slightly stupid, thoughts disconnected, and next morning slightly disoriented. Since then tightness of muscles in head, transient headaches on exertion, slight dizziness, and tiring quickly. Looked up “coronary disorientation” on the Internet and read co...

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New Settings

Had 3 month post-implant checkup last week.  Chronic settings set and floor set at 60bpm.  Cardiologist said that the interrogation report showed some Afib and LOTS or rapid bursts of Atrial activity.  Recommended I see my EP.  Saw EP today and he did another interrogation and there were a bunch more of those short bursts of atrial activity.  He said "we're going to break the elephant down into manageable pieces" and decided to raise my floor to 70bpm an...

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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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Activity mode.. Settings.

Hello. Iam a 75 yr old male with second pacemaker. My problem is SOB on any kind of incline.    Had nuclear stress test done In dec before     second pm procedure.All was ok with a 55 Ef. I had same problem with old pacemaker about 5 yrs ago. They turned up activity mode and all was good.

  Question. Can that be tweaked  up again without rasing my heart rate too high. Just walking accoss room will raise pulse to 100. It will go back to 70-80...

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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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You know you're wired when...

Your electric tooth brush interferes with your device.

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