CRT pacemaker leada

How easy is it to pull a lead out of position in your heart? I had my pacemaker surgery on Friday. Today I twisted my right arm around to put on a sweater (pacemaker is on left side) and felt a very hard, sharp pain in the middle of my chest. I'm wondering if I could have dislodged a lead?

3 Comments

A few questions

by Gemita - 2020-11-24 17:49:14

Friday is quite recent so you are still healing.

How is the pain now and do you have any other symptoms?  If you dislodged a lead I believe you would be getting adverse symptoms, maybe similar to what you experienced prior to pacemaker implant. If you are still in pain or having symptoms then I would get a medical opinion.  If you are free from pain and symptoms, then I would be reassured that no major harm has been caused.  I expect you might be sore tomorrow though.

Leads are pretty secure since they are attached to heart tissue one end and the other ends are connected to the pacemaker which is fitted into a small pocket left upper chest.  It is important not to raise pacemaker side arm above shoulder or overstretch pacemaker side arm for approx 6 weeks to prevent lead dislodgement.

UPDATE. Maggie, I note from your earlier post that you have been getting symptoms since pacemaker implant, whereas not before?  In view of this and your recent chest pain, I wonder whether a medical opinion should be sought just to be safe?  In your shoes I would get a medical opinion as soon as possible.  Please take care

They shouldn’t come out that easy

by PacedNRunning - 2020-11-25 02:15:27

They shouldn't come out that easy. I had zero restrictions.  I would call and get a remote check or go in for a check just to be sure.

Much more likely to be pocket pain

by crustyg - 2020-11-25 06:48:37

If your EP-doc selected the correct length of lead (they aren't all the same size) and used active fixation then it's really difficult to dislodge a lead from the heart muscle even at this early stage.

*Much* more likely is that the pain came from the PM pocket.  What you *may* have done is broken or pulled out the anchor stitch.  It will quickly become apparent if the anchor stitch is no longer effective, but I imagine that right now you're not keen on poking and prodding the skin over the PM.

You may well get twinges from the PM pocket over the next few months, depending on the activities that you do during your return to normal life.

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