Heart Rate

I have had my pm about six weeks now. I had a slow heart rate due to taking Sotalol for a-fib. A 24 hour Holter monitor test revealed an average rate of 50 and previously I had checkd my own resting rate as low as forty during the day. I don't know what it would go down to while sleeping. At my first pm check in the doctor's office, they turned off my pm to see what I was doing naturally. My heart rate was 30. I was just curious if after being pace 90+ percent of the time at a threshold rate of 60 if my heart has become more dependent on the pm. I feel great and actually love having the pm but was just wondering if the hearts natural rate decreases (gets lazy?) after being paced for a while and if so, would it revert to the pre-paced rate after a period.

5 Comments

Maybe...

by qwerty - 2010-12-15 06:12:04

My heart rate was staying around 40 during the day prior to the PM. Now I stay at 60. After almost a year, my pacing has actually dropped from 99% to 89%. So if anything, my heart is "less lazy".

It is good to feel good....

qwerty

Clarification

by jhull413 - 2010-12-15 07:12:53

qwerty,
Mine stays at 60 or higher when being paced. I was talking about it dropping to 30 when they turned off the pm at the first checkup. Prior to the pm the lowest it had ever been while awake was low 40s thus my question.

shouldn't

by Tracey_E - 2010-12-15 10:12:54

The pm shouldn't make the heart lazy or beat slower on its own but I guess anything's possible. All it does is fill in beats when the heart doesn't do it on its own, it does not take over. Glad to hear you're feeling better!

Unpaced HR

by ElectricFrank - 2010-12-16 02:12:40

That's a good idea having the test without pacing. I've asked for it a few times just to know what would happen if the pacer quit. Mine also drops down around the 30-35 range. I don't get light headed or pass out, but don't feel very good with it that low. With mine on my HR varies from a low limit of 55 on up to whatever I push it to with exercise.

I don't think the pacer has any long term effect on the unpaced rate. If I didn't have the AV block my sinus node would be sending the ventricles a pacing signal anyway.

frank

Shouldn't do

by SUPERSTARDJ01 - 2010-12-30 05:12:26

Hi,

I had a heart rate of 38 bpm thought out the day and 28 at night plus complete heart block on my left ventracle I believe, I pace 98% of the time my heart can not go below 60 bpm and not above 160 bpm my cardiologist said they don't like to pace 100% of the time as your heart can become reliant on the PM.

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