Request information/advice on getting a pacemaker- 39 year old mother of a 9 month infant with bradycardia

Bradycardia

by IAN MC - 2018-05-02 10:32:42

Hi Laura.   The ONLY way to manage bradycardia is a pacemaker. There aren't any drugs which can give reliable consistent results for bradycardia, 

Living with bradycardia is an option but the low levels of oxygen being pumped around your body mean that you get excessively tired and breathless . Also bradycardia has the nasty habit of getting worse and you may start fainting which is best avoided

But having said that , getting a pacemaker really is no big deal and you should be able to live a normal active  life afterwards. The procedure to install a PM is straightforward and is usually done under a local anaesthetic.  I had mine put in at 10.30 am and returned home that evening

You don't say which country you are in but wherever you are , finding a competent Dr to do what is a simple procedure, should be no problem

Best of luck

Ian ( in the UK )

pm for bradycardia

by islandgirl - 2018-05-02 14:44:09

I am paced 100% due to bradycardia/sick sinus syndrome.  Comments had been made to me in the past by my primary that I may need a pacemaker someday.  I ended up having to go to the ER with rates in the 30s, teens at night, long pauses, and no functioning sinus node (junctional rhythm).  Luckily I had been seeing an electrophysiologist, so he worked with me on placement.

If you are in the US, you may want to seek out an electrophysiologist.  If you pursue that specialty, make sure he is a member of the heart rhythm society, and you can get names off of their website.  Also, get an MRI compatible device.

My pm was implanted subpectorally, under the pectoral muscle, and it should not interefere with your activities nor be visible.  

Seconded

by bposter - 2018-05-02 14:45:42

I second what Ian and islandgirl said. No good treatments I've heard of, I also have bradycardia but only while I sleep; as well as complete sinus pauses lasting ten seconds. If you dont run into complications then the pacer shouldnt be a hindrance.

Correct the low sodium first

by Paced2017 - 2018-05-02 18:45:28

A sodium level of 121 is quite low and could contribute to your symptoms, so don't make any decisions about the pacemaker until this has been corrected and stays in the normal range. There are lots of causes, including some medications.

If you decide to go ahead with a pacemaker consult a cardiac electrophysiologist - they have much greater expertise in this area. I assume your problem is sick sinus syndrome rather than AV block? If so and as you are young, I would suggest choosing a single lead (atrial) pacemaker to avoid putting in an extra lead into the right ventricle which you don't need at this stage and which would increase the risk of complications like infection.

By the time you might need a second lead ( and not everyone does) the technology will have moved on and pacing might not even require leads inside the heart. There is alot of research going on at the moment which means that in the future pacing might be done quite differently and less invasively e.g. atrial leadless pacemakers, pacing from the outside surface of the heart, gene therapy etc 

Good luck!