Most Recent Messages in Batteries & Leads

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Battery low

Six months ago my battery life was 2 1/2 yrs...yesterday my battery life was 5 months. Does anyone know what would cause this?

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Pacemaker change

I used to get my pacemaker checked once a year, but now it's every 3 months, on my last check up they say I've got about 12 month battery left. How long before it runs out do I have the operation? 

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Lead Fracture

Has anyone had a lead fracture and had odd symptoms prior to finding out? I ask because I had a couple of weeks of dizziness, nausea and fast heart beat runs.  One night at had reached over to turn off my nightlight and my heart rate went crazy (ended up only being 80's on my watch) but every time I moved my arm for about 10 mins, it would beat strong and funny.  Then for about a week every time I moved my arms, I would get palpitations. The amount of palpitations increased in t...

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pacemaker replacement

My first pacer was implanted 6/11, and the battery is now reaching end of service.  At the point that its "elective replacement indicator" was activated to enter ERI mode, I made the decision not to have a second implant.  At that point, my cardiologist of six years "fired" me and refused continuing care.  Further, the Abbott Lab technician also refused to provide me with any battery status testing.  I now am in hospice without any cardiology oversight...

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Lead Replacement... Use the same vein? Come in from the other side?

My leads need to be replaced and I will see the cardio electrician soon to go over the options.  I can think of three.  (1)  Remove and Replace - in kind.   (2) Insert the replacement without removal.  (3) Come in from the other side.

Seems like (1) & (2) are more risky than (3).  If so, why would a doctor consider doing (1) or (2)?

I want to think this through before seeing the cardio electrician.   I...

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Lead replacement

Good Morning everyone!

three years ago one of my leads needed replacing. So another lead was fed down the same vein and malfunctioned lead was capped off.  During the process I went into VF and was ‘zapped twice’ ...During the process I suffered a pericardial effusion!  I’ve just found out that this second replacement lead is showing signs of malfunction!  I am terrified!  I have to go back in three months to see if the numbers have stabilized. &nbs...

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Single Lead for Intermittent AV Block

Hi again, high-anxiety soon-to-be-implanted pacemaker patient here.

I had a cardiac MRI done last week that confirmed mild LV noncompaction, QRS ~ 140ms. My doctor saw 3 long pauses on my Zio monitor over two weeks: 10s, 8s, and 7s. "High grade AV block". During waking hours I have 1st degree AV block with no pauses, been that way for 5 years. Asymptomatic but he wants to give me a PM to reduce my risk...

I talked with this doctor yesterday, and he recommended a sin...

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Urgent advice

Dear members

I have a VDD pacemaker implant since 2011 but I have paced  3% since then.  The problem  is Its now  pacing diaphragm,  I get pvcs and severe cough. drs here have confirmed  I don't need it anymore, They wanted to switch it off but the battery life is too low  to change the settings. It was on VDD mode but automatically changed the mode to VVI. 3rd day now i get severe cardiac events. The pacemaker   request immediate replace...

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Metal Mickey’s time’s up.

Check today and replacement in next week or so. Put in 2009, pretty good effort for my metal mate. St. Judes Zephyr. 
thanks for all the support and advice since 2009.

cheers,

Lizzie

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Ventricular lead pulsing

Hi, I had a dual chanber PPM fitted November 2019. For the past 10 days or so I have very regular strong pulsating from the bottom lead. I was having this 1% of the time when I had check ups in January/February.....now it is more like 40% of the time. Does anyone think this is clinically significant? I have been having some SVT's...thank you for your thoughts.

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At home transmission

I have had my pacemaker for 3 years and it  in the his bundle.

Saturday I sent over a transmission. I know this probably sounds weird. But when I did the transmission, it almost felt like my pacemaker was getting hot. It took a while as where I live doesn't have good cell reception. 

After that I felt what I thought was pvcs. Did a 1 lead ecg and no pvcs. in fact almost all my ecgs I take come up as bad recordings. I've been doing these ecgs for a long while and...

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Ventricular lead not responding

I had my first dual lead pacemaker put in a week ago for sick sinus with bradycardia.   I had a checkup with my regular doctor and the found my HR to only be 43.  He immediately set me up with a pacemaker check.  They could not get the ventricular lead to respond.  I was told the lead would need to be replaced and was sent for chest X-ray.  The LPN called later and said the doctor did not see a lead fracture and wanted to check it again in a week.  Has anyon...

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Failed lead

So, my latest remote check resulted in me being asked to go for an appointment where I was told that one of my 2 leads had failed and hadn't been working since April 🥴. I was told this was rare and bad luck...

So I'm now hoping for another one to be implanted asap along with a new battery, my first change (my present one has about a year left after being in fir 9 years). 

Has anyone else has this happen? 
 

 

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Vibrations

Howdy--I got my pacemaker a week ago and so far so good.  It seems to pace as it should.  Does anyone have experience with machines like chain saws that shake and/or vibrate?  I have a sickle bar mower that shakes like hell and a couple of chain saws and I don't know if the leads would be adversely affected or broken once it's confirmed that everything's in place.  Thanks

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Lead fracture

I thought I'd share something that happened a while back. Before covid, I was walking to lunch with co-workers and started to get dizzy and thought that I was gonna pass out. I'd been pacing for over 15 years and knew something was wrong.  "Was it plumbing or electrical?" I thought.  It took a while to diagnose, but there were other moments where I felt dizzy for a few seconds... I could be sitting in a meeting, at my desk, etc... so I started to kee...

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ERI countdown

So I went to see my EP last week to check for a handful of things. They've scheduled an Echo and vascular Doppler to check for PAD. While there they said I've got about 6 months left on my device. I knew it was probably getting close. She said because I have been having a lot of symptoms lately my ERI could end up being scheduled sooner. I go back in 3 months to see where we are. I pace 37% as of now. 
 

I guess my question is what to expect? My first implant was...

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Lead Issue

I received a call from the Heart Center about 15 minutes after I completed my 3 month remote transmission this morning. The nurse said the Lead to the lower chamber of my heart is using more battery than it should. I was told in my last in-clinic device check there was an issue with that lead and some adjustments were made to hopefully help it. I'm scheduled to go in tomorrow for further adjustments to possibly help and therefore prolong the time that the lead will need to be replaced. Th...

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Pacemaker battery life

My grandson had a pacemaker check in mid-February and was told he had 9 months of battery life plus the 3 month ERI time (total 12 months). They were looking at a pacemaker replacement toward the end of the year. We were doing 3 month pacemaker checks, until August, then going to monthly until time for the replacement.  We did a remote check in mid-May and was told the pacer went into the ERI time on April 10th, therefore he was already almost 2 months into the ERI. ...

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lead dislodgement

Hi I got my first pacemaker last week. I was told not to lift anything heavier than 20 lbs or place my arm over my shoulder for a month. I am 42 and have a 5 week old baby. The baby weighs just over 10lbs and I have been mainly carrying him on my right arm and only using the left to make sure he doesn't fall.

When I sleep I often extend my arm over my head when I sleep on my side. Since I have had the pacemaker in I have involuntarily brought my arm up over my head twice w...

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any insights on why leads fail?

My husband just had his 3d pacemaker surgery plus ablation in a year. 2 lead biotronik was placed in July.  One lead failed in late July and was replaced.  Then he began having lightheadedness early this year.  We switched EPs.   Turns out he was having atrial flutter plus a failed lead.  So he had ablation and  now yesterday a lead revision.  Could it just be bad luck on the leads or what else could be going on?  Thanks for any insights!

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