Most Recent Messages in Batteries & Leads

Post Message!

Lead Extraction

Can anyone give me information on lead extractions?
My situation is....I am 34 with my third implant. I will be having my fourth implant within the next couple months. I was also told that I have no more room for leads in my upper chamber as I have one active with two "old inactive" leads. So a lead extraction will need to be done. Since they are doing the upper chamber they will also remove the one "old inactive" lead in my lower chamber. Being only 13 when I had my first pacemaker implan...

Read More...

Fountain of all knowledge

Hi Smitty

I have posted this personally as I feel it is too long to go on the forum.

As you appear to be the fountain of all knowledge I thought you may be able to answer some questions for me?

My by polar dual lead Medtronic Sensia was implanted on the 26th November, I am paced 100%. I have been recovering well. Well enough to take myself off to the Caribbean on holiday. My lower limit is set to 60, I have no idea as to the top limit. During the past 10 weeks I...

Read More...

Planning for travel with low batter

I was told that I would need new battery within next few months. My doctor said insurance company would not pay for change of pacemaker until it goes into power save mode. I gather from this great website that I will know when this happens. Is it true that you have to go into this mode and not feel well before insurance pays? Second question, I have trips planned - golfing and hiking. How do I make decisions about whether to go in March? thanks in advance for ideas.

Read More...

lead wire

No such thing as a dumb question? O.K. here goes one. Does the lead wire go thru a vein or just under the skin directly to the heart and hook up there? and how? After your answer, I won't have to wonder. :) aldeer

Read More...

Time to Battery Change

I'm a new PM user, received on 11/1. I've had a few problems with response to exertion but now seem to have settled into a reasonably smooth symbiotic relationship with it (Guidant Insignia Ultra)

My question is how long until the battery fails. I've been told between 5 and 7 years. I've seen longer times quoted on the site. What's your actual experience? Anyone less than 5 years? It might be helpful if you indicate the type pacemaker and indication for it's placement.

Read More...

End of battery

How can you tell when the battery changes modes? Dr. said something about staying at 65 beats/minute?

Read More...

New pm and lead

About a year into my pm, a problem developed with my lead where it took 3 times the energy to work as needed. The result was that the pm ran out of juice after 3 1/2 years. A chest x-ray showed no obvious clues as to what happened.

Since there was a problem with the lead and I'm relatively young at 46, my dr and decided to remove and replace the old lead when it was time to replace my pm. Which we did this morning.

I checked into he hospital in burbank at 6:00 AM and t...

Read More...

retire

can i tell if a lead is off
thank you

Read More...

Anxiety about my pacemaker

I wanted to say that I am new and this site is great. I wish I would have found it 2 yrs ago but at that time I was in denial about the pacemaker. Since then I have had this fear that my battery will die or my leads will come loose and I will drop dead.
Am I the only one that feels that way? Last week I was called and told to go to the ER immediately. They had read the holter that I wore the week earlier and found several pauses. They cant beleive I never passed out. The chance of me drop...

Read More...

My lead

So got an echo and it states: concentric left ventricular hpertrophy, moderate aortic stenosis, severe tricuspid insufficiency with evidence of a pacemaker wire extending across the tricuspid valve. ( Among other findings as well) Now this is all new compared to my last one a year ago that stated:
mild aortic stenosis, mild tricuspid insuff. with pacer wire noted to the RV apex.
Now my question. Should my lead be laying across my tricuspid valve like that? Seems very odd to me..
...

Read More...

Recovering after Lead Extraction

I got home Thursday after having my surgery on Wednesday. They wanted to remove all the leads in the vessel where the fractured lead was, only they weren't successful. The two hours scheduled procedure took over 5 hours. The fractured lead was easy to remove, but the other two had tissue grown around them and were attached to the thinnest portion of my aorta. They gently tried, but were not successful with extracting them. Then they put in a third lead because my ejection fraction (the % of...

Read More...

medtronic recall leads

I have posted on this subject before but am still wondering what to do as I am hearing (from doctors, friends, news and here) that more and more people are experiencing problems with medtronic fractured leads. As I no longer have insurance, I am anxious about how I would pay to have a lead replaced and how dangerous it would be. The person I spoke to from medtronic didn't seem to want to help out at all and I am strongly leaning toward filing a claim against the company. No, it is not what I...

Read More...

guidant vitality replacement

My husband has a guidant vitility a155 which suddenly has a depleted battery. He is due to have it replaced Jan. 7. If you hear a beeping please make sure that you get it checked. I had to argue with the clinic to get them to check his Icd thank god I did.

Read More...

Hi

Hi everyone -
I just wish to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to all batterya and lead users lol.
It is not very good having to have a pacemaker but it is very nice to know that there are people out there whereever they are, near or far who totally rely on pm's.
KEEP UP THE GOOD SPIRIT
Regards
Fluzy Suzy

Read More...

Replacing Leads

Is there any difference between replacing a defibrilator lead and a pacemaker lead?

I note that in the Medtronics recently recalled defibrilator leads, due to fracturing, literature notes the serious risk in replacing the lead, including blood vessel and heart tears.

I have a pacemaker and was told that leads sometimes may have to be replaced and that it was little more difficult then replacing the pacemaker. The defibrilator lead literature notes much more serious risks f...

Read More...

Get ICD to stop making noises

If anyone has the ICD making noises, you should go back to the hospital and have the ICD checked.Probably, need a new battery.I myself had one a year ago.When it made a few noises, i was concerned.I contacted the hospital,in London and they asked me to go back to the hopital.They then gave me a date to put in a new ICD.

You have nothing to worry about.

Best wishes
Lionel Aloe (ARVC - ICD since 2002)

Read More...

pulse rate

hi, i hope someone is out there to help me, i'm a little worried.
my pm is set on 70 at the low, i haven't been feeling to chipper the last 2 days, decided to check blood pressure, it was ok but heart rate is stayin in low 60's. should i call my doc?
nelson

Read More...

Impedance checks

Hi everyone
I recently enquired about the 3 pulses that I feel in the pacemaker every 3 hours and a few of you suggested that it was an Impedance check.
OK so a gather that it is checking the wires to see if there is a fault; but what happens if there is?
Do alarms bells start ringing, does it immeadiately dial 999 or in the case of the US 911, do my eyes start flashing warning warning, what??

It is a pity these little miracles do not come with a user manual!!
Ch...

Read More...

Lead Size

OK, I goofed, Now I'll make an attempt to correct my goof. I put in a comment - "An implantable cardiac stimulation lead system for use with an implantable stimulation device includes at least a pair of conductors, braided together and extending between proximal and distal ends and co-extruded with flexible resilient insulation material. Each conductor may be a multi-strand cable composed of MP35N or DFT and have its outer peripheral surfaces coated with insulative material. An electrical conn...

Read More...

Size of leads??

I'm curious about the actual size of the leads/wires that run down through the vein and into the heart. I was looking at the display of PMs and leads outside the cath lab and those leads look very large in diameter, maybe 1/16" or even slightly larger. I remember seeing one post somewhere on the PMClub that referred to the leads as being about the size of a human hair. That's a lot of difference.

Does anyone know how large these things actually are?

Thanks.

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

Muggers want your ICD, not your wallet.

Member Quotes

I had a pacemaker since 2002 and ever since then my life has been a total blessing.