rate of usage..


Message

Hi - I am 47 and had my pacemaker implanted in December of 2005. I have not seen my questions asked anywhere in this forum - but maybe I am just missing them;-)

My questions are - - - Is there an average percent of usage for a pacemaker - what I mean is, when I go to the pacemaker clinic, the technician tells me that my pacemaker is working fine, and the rate of usage is 88%. Last time I was in to the clinic, the technician was concerned because the usage had gone up by 18% in 6 months (saying "the heart that God gave you is pretty much not working at all - only 12 % of the time."). I have been told by others that 88% usage is very high. Another person said there is a concern about strokes when the pacemaker is used almost exclusively to make the heart pump.

Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

4 Comments

usage

by Tracey_E - 2008-10-10 08:10:01

What Smitty said! There is no average number. It depends on what's wrong with your heart. I'm one of the few who really does need it all the time. My underlying rate is in the 20's and I pace 99% of the time. That's rare, tho!

IMO, it really doesn't matter what the number is. It
s a bit like being pregnant... it doesn't matter if it's 1% or 100%... if you need it you need it.

I never heard of the increase of the risk of stroke. I hope it's not true, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it if it is. Alive at risk for a stroke is better than dead :o)

PM Useage

by SMITTY - 2008-10-10 08:10:10


On your question of "Is there an average percent of usage for a pacemaker" the answer is NO. The percentage of usage is dependant on why the person got the pacemaker to start with and why the person needs a PM to help maintain a steady heart rhythm. And the answer is there can be as many different reasons as there are people with pacemakers.

For example if a person got a PM because they are prone to having A-Fib, With A-Fib the person will have an extremely fast heart rate and then when the A-Fib is over the heart rate goes from very fast to very slow. When this happens several things can happen, most of which are not good, but if the person has a PM it will step in when the heart rate goes below the low set point and keep the heart rate at that level. That means this person has a PM that may work 0% of the time for months on end and then all of a sudden it may help the heart 1% to ?%. Therefore the percent of time the PM is helping the heart is important information for the doctor, and it should be left to the doctor to tell just how important the percent of PM help the heart is getting.

As for "Another person said there is a concern about strokes when the pacemaker is used almost exclusively to make the heart pump." I will not say that is malarkey, but it is the first time I have heard that and I do have my doubts about its validity.


Frankly I think that any technician that would tell a person with a pacemaker that "the heart that God gave you is pretty much not working at all - only 12 % of the time" should be doing some other type work.

Even if your pacemaker is working 100% percent of the time that does not mean "you heart is not doing its job." What it really means is that your heart rate would be lower than the low setting on your pacemaker if you did not have the PM In other words say the low setting on you PM is 70 and without it your heart rate would be 60. But because you have the PM your heart rate is 70 or above all the time. But that in no way means that you would be dire need of help if you did not have the PM. My PM has a low setting of 70 and without the PM my heart rate will be in the 40s. I may not feel very well but I'll not die with out the PM working.

The majority of the people that have a pacemaker have one to simply increase their heart rate, not because they will die if they do not have one. Of course there are people that must have the PM to live but they are exception.

So the next time some tech tells you something like that insist that they explain exactly what they are talking about. And if you are not satisfied with the explanation, insist on seeing the doctor and let him explain what the tech was trying to tell you.

Good luck

Smitty

Not very helpful tech.

by ElectricFrank - 2008-10-11 01:10:26

Smitty and TraceyE pretty much said it. I have AV block which requires nearly 100% pacing. That doesn't mean my heart stops though without pacing. It just drops down to 35-40 BPM which is a bit of a drag.

There is no reason why the %pacing should have any effect on stroke risk. The heart is perfectly happy with the little nudge it gets from the pacer each beat.

frank

pm usage

by meda - 2008-10-11 10:10:09


what the other people have said is true but i have to tell you that yes your pm is doing more then your heart is i got mine over 20 years ago and my bpm was 17 when they put it in but in the last ten years i have had to have it changed evey 6 years and didnt know why but i asked my doctor this last change 3 weeks ago and he told me that my pm is running at 100% and that if the battery was to go that i would not make it because now my bpm are verlow so the pm does take control and some people end up depended on it and as for it causing a stroke i cant see that because yuor heatr rate is steady with the pm and shocks when need be.

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