i assumed that the leads would go from PM basically straight into the heart but i had a peek at my x-ray which was recently done because, believe it or not they may have placed the lead in the wrong spot-i swear i'll give them a good......- anyway the leads went from the PM far over into my right chest cavity and looped back to the heart(i have about 2 feet of wire in there) Is this the way its supposed to be?
thanks

 

 

Hello,

I believe they have quite a bit of "wire" in our bodies... check out this image from Boston Scientific: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bostonscientific.com/templatedata/imports/multimedia/CRM/pro_pacemaker_us.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bostonscientific.com/procedure/ProcedureLanding.bsci/,,/navRelId/1000.1002/method/Procedure/id/10001001/seo.serve&h=413&w=413&sz=43&hl=en&start=15&tbnid=bFYBQAyZKDxIsM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpacemaker%2Bimplant%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Cleveland clinic used to have a great little article and images on their website, but it appears they have just "upgraded" their site and now I can't find the images I bookmarked...

I would ask your doctor about the wiring diagram... see what he/she says!

Swedeheart

 

The leads don't go "straight" into your chest, they are inserted into one of your larger veins and that follow that vein like a pipe to your heart. In a typical left sided PM implant, on X-ray the lead will start off going almost straight right, then drop down into the heart. Inside the heart they can have all sorts of turns and loops, depending on placement, number of leads, etc. Your description sounds perfectly normal!

 

Shockbox is absolutely right and you really have no need to worry. I have had two replacement icd's and four new leads. On x-ray they will be seen to go across the chest because they are in a vein and that is the way that it goes to the heart, so it is NOT wrongly placed.
Stop worrying and enjoy the fact that you are alive and well and being looked after by professionals who know what they are doing.