Any advice ?

Going to try to explain this the best i can. In 2004 i had a St Jude biventricular pacemaker put in. I am now 100% dependent. I have been getting it checked every 6 months up until somewhere around the last year or so when i was told by the tech that they needed to keep a closer eye on it because the time is getting near to replace the battery. I was told to come back in 3 months and they would check it again. So i had it checked again in 3 months, at that time i was told by a another tech that the battery was still good and to come back again in 6 months. After being told 3 months and then 6 months i didn't feel comfortable waiting 6 months, so i told them i wanted to come back in 3 months. I had it checked again yesterday by another tech and he told me that i still have 18 months left on the battery, he also ask me if someone turned one of my leads off because he was not getting a reading from it. He called st jude and they told him that 2 of the leads pace together and that's why he wasn't getting a read from it. That doesn't make any sense, why would would i have 3 leads and 3 places on the pacemaker that the leads hook to if 2 of them pace together. Now i am totally confused and scared about the whole thing and don't know what to do. I now have to wait 6 months again to be check and the hospital is 50 mile from my home and that's what bothers me the most in case something was to happen. Has anyone else had this happen to them, or have any suggestions, thanks.

1 Comments

PM Concerns

by SMITTY - 2010-12-16 10:12:51

Hello Parshooter,

As you know your bivent pacemaker has three leads. One leads goes to the upper chamber and the other two go to the left and right lower chambers. From what little I know about a bivent PM the two leads to the lower chambers would fire at the same time. However I don’t understand why that would cause one of the leads to not have a reading. I would think if it is carrying an electrical impulse to a heart chamber it should be detectable.

As for battery life, it sounds like you may have one or more technicians trying to show how smart they are by giving you very important information that may or may not be correct.

On the battery life, it is my understanding that St. Jude PMs have a built in safety mode that lets the person know when the battery level reaches a certain point. For example: at a certain battery level my Medtronic PM shifts into what is called a VVI mode to extend the battery life for at least three months. I understand St. Jude pacemakers also have a VVI mode. But whether they are the same as on my Medtronic or not, I don’t know. But when this happened to me on my first PM there was no mistaking something had happened. While I did not think my life was in danger, I did know it was time to call the PM clinic.

It sounds like the techs you are seeing have questionable knowledgeable when it comes to pacemakers. So, I would suggest that you contact St. Jude by telephone or by e-mail and tell them what is going on. St. Jude wants all the people that have one of their devices to be safe and feel safe with their product. You might even consider sending them the message you posted here as it shows your concerns and why you have these concerns.

Good luck to you,

Smitty

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