Hey,

I'm kinda new here, I had my first pacemaker implanted 2 1/2 weeks ago due to high grade AV Block.

I was just wondering how common it is to pull/dislodge a lead? I have my first checkup (+xray and echo) in a few days. I was told not to lift my arm above my head for the first 4 weeks after surgery but I have totally cheated!!! as soon as it was strong enough I've been lifting my arm above my head for necessary things....maybe a dozen times or so.

Just wondering how common it is to dislodge a lead just after surgery? and if anyone has ever had this happen, what does it feel like & did they need more surgery to correct the placement of the lead?

 

 

It's not common, if you follow instructions! Not to be too blunt, but overusing that arm is asking for trouble. Moving the arm puts stress on the leads, that's why they tell us to keep the arm down and it has nothing to do with how good we feel. You can and should use your arm, but keep it down and don't lift. Some drs say as long as 8 but 4 is the minimum and 6 is average.

If you dislodged a lead, you would feel like you did before you got the pm because it would no longer be pacing you, sometimes with hiccups.

It'll be over before you know it and you'll be able to do whatever you want! But try to behave a bit longer :o)

 

Sorry, missed some of your questions. Yes, we've had members with a dislodged lead. They do another surgery to correct it.

 

IT's NOT FUN. They re-open the scar that's not even healed and re-attach it again. Mine dislodged before I even left the hospital but wasn't "officially" discovered until a week later. I knew I felt bad, but didn't even imagine that it could be a loose lead.

The lead is attached to tissue that is as delicate as the lining of the inside of mouth, like the inside of your cheek.

Mind your restrictions. There's a reason for them, but hey it's ultimately up to you.

 

I just went through a bike v. SUV collision and after checking here and checking with my docs office they are having me in to check things out. Since I pace very little (less than 1% at last checkup) I wouldn't notice unless I passed out that my lead was messed up so they are going to check me out just to be sure. BTW, I am about 13 months post implant.

I would follow instructions and keep the arm down and limit your lifting. You don't want to have them go back in if at all preventable, even if only for the risk of infection. I know because I have an infection post implant and it SUCKED. Incision looked good, wasn't running a fever but I hurt from my jaw, through my upper chest and down my left arm. Felt just like they say a heart attack feels but mine was constant for almost 2 weeks. Only when they put me on some strong antibiotics did it knock the pain down.

 

Mine dislodged and came loose and I needed a replacement. They told me at my hospital the figure was 1 in 100.

They then compared that to another nearby hospital and said their record was 1 in 20.

Hope this is of some help

 

I've had a pm for 15 years. A year after I had my pm everything was hunky dory and I went in for a check up. It turns out I had pulled a lead and didn't no it! I was very very careful and never over did it. I guess it just happened. I didn't feel any different and, obviously, it didn't hurt when I pulled the lead. The pacemaker tech said I had pulled the lead about 3 months before my checkup.

I had severe pain and a few YEARS of problems from a repositioning of the pacemaker but not from a pulled lead.

Hope this helps

 

TraceyE is so right. But not doing what you are told you are asking for trouble.
Yes I was working days later, but not with my left arm. I was told 6 weeks and 6 weeks it was.
Got better good at being a one handled person and also give me some insight.
Anything I couldn't do, I called one of the young bucks to do.Bottom line was, my left arm did not get raised higher then what I was told for 6 weeks!
I knew some guys who could not follow orders and they came home in body bags!

 

I know I should listen to what the doc said, but he also said I'd recover faster than the average PM recipient because I'm about 40 years younger. I feel fine, I'm not PM dependant - just wanted to know if it had happened to anyone...looks like it has! I'll be good for the next few weeks, I just hope it all goes well at the check up 2moro then!
BTW how do u know if you've pulled/dislodged the lead if your not dependant on your PM?

 

Anita

Not sure how you know that you are 40 years younger than the average PM recipient. I've had a pacemaker since I was 23 and I know many people who have had pacemakers since they were toddlers, teens and young adults. Most people on this site are young, vital, energetic people from all walks of life.

If you read my earlier reply to this post you would see that I had a pulled lead and did not know it until I went for a yearly check up. I am not pacemaker dependent.

 

I don't know about world wide stats but my cardiologist said that <2% of PM recipients in New Zealand are under that age of 30 (that's me). It seems to correlate to the stats on the FAQ of this website too....

Well I just hope it all goes well tomorrow and I haven't pulled a lead!

 

Healing quickly means we FEEL better faster, we bounce back more easily. It has nothing to do with how quickly the scar tissue develops around the lead and secures it in place.

The average age here is a whole lot lower than the average age in general! We have a much higher percentage of young recipients than your average drs office. I've had a pm for 16 yrs now and my dr finally got his first patient younger than me last year. I'm 43 and got my first pm at 27, that was a lot of years to be the baby, lol.

 

Hey, Thanks for all your comments. I thought I'd tell you how it went at the PM Clinic....GREAT!!! The xray showed the lead was still where they inserted it, the technician paced my PM at 100bpm my R-wave was 32! I'm so stoked I don't need more surgery!