Pacemaker generator replacement
Common Questions and Answers about Pacemaker generator replacement
pacemaker
I'm having what the doctor referred to as a "generator repair" on my pacemaker next Tuesday. How long does this usually take? What other complications might be found?
Under local anesthesia, the incision is opened, the generator is detached from the leads and thrown away, a new generator is attached, and the incision is then closed.
The replacement procedure is typically shorter and simpler than the original installation of the pacemaker. Once you are in the lab being prepped for the procedure, external pacing pads are placed...I wouldn't worry about your heart stopping.
Best of luck with your procedure!
The fact that your pacemaker generator is only lasting 6 or 7 years to me means that you must be in a paced rhythm fairly frequently-- sometimes they can set the lower rates lower then they were previously set so that you won't pace as often, which may help the generator life although sometimes you cannot do that.
This would be a good question for your cardiologist but my guess is. . . that unless your heart simply can't beat at all without a pacemaker, you'll be fine. Most people get the pacemaker because their heart rate is too slow. But slow (say the 30's or 40's) isn't the same as stopped. So you can survive those few minutes while they unplug one unit and connect the leads to the new unit.
My Dad had his replaced and he was in and out in an hour or so.
can I keep my leads stay intact, with the high-voltage lead in my right ventricle simply being used as a second pacemaker lead? Obviously I'm hoping I won't need a new lead, & am trying to avoid an added lead in the vein or (ouch) extracting & replacing the RV lead.
I've looked & looked and read about generator changes, but can't find this, and I'm not scheduled to see an EP for a looong time.
You could have isolated lead extraction if the generator didn't need to be changed. A lead could then be reimplanted without having to change the generator.
You should discuss with the electrophysiologist who implanted the device.
Hope that helps!
To all who wished me good thoughts over my pacemaker "generator" replacement. It does sound more impressive than "battery" !! I'm told I have the very latest in technology and can now be "found" by the new system that "reads" your pacemaker without you having to "phone home" and do the telephone game; alas I had to burst the pacemaker rep's bubble and remind her that I am only near a "landline" in the winter.....
Hi, I am a 76 yr old female who is 100% dependent on my St June 2210 pacemaker/generator. It was implanted at the end of 2009, and after the initial healing/ caution period, I can say I have lived and slept without problems. I get a little short of breath when I walk too fast, or lift something a little heavy, but I'm no kid anymore so I can't blame the pacemaker. As for sleeping, I sleep on my left side (same side as the unit) about 80% of the time and have never had a problem.
3 weeks ago I had a Pacemaker replacement due to the fact my battery on my Pacemaker was running low. The new Pacemaker installed is a Medtronic Adapta. Since the new pacemaker my Heart beat has been all over the place. My 1st Enrhythym was paced at 80 bpm, and it pretty much stayed like that for 5.5 years until the battery started to go. The problem is is that the new Pacemaker is not like that at all! My heartbeat goes from 56 to 93, back to 71 then 86, and has gone a high as 100.
I had a pacemaker inserted back in December.I now am not certain that this was the right decision my question is will the pacemaker cause other problems to my heart?
A pacemaker is most assurredly not a defibrillator. What most people call a pacemaker is a pulse generator the supplies small electrical pulses to either the ventricles or atria or both to trigger a heart beat. It runs at low voltage and generally very low current. Also most people's pulse generator runs on an as-needed basis to control bradiacardia - i.e. slow heartbeat.
I have a close friend who has been told by her doctor that her pacemaker will only last up to 6 months. She has no insurance and is low income. Does anyone know how to help her with this. She has been going to different clinics and is exploring every avenue but keeps being told no one can help her. Can anyone give advice on how to help her.
i had 3 open heart surgery and on my 2nd. pacemaker.. my first pacemaker last me for 18yrs. and just got my 2nd. pacemaker Dec.2006.. my pacemaker was implanted in my upper chest on the right side.. only thing i hate the surgery doctor told me he would use the same cut as the other pacemaker but when i woke up he cut me in another spot.. well i can say.. ask your doctor his he using the same cut as the first pacemaker was in..
Pacemaker batteries will not run out unexpectedly. When a battery is running low, the elective replacement indicator (ERI) is activated. Physicians can detect this activation during a routine office visit. In addition, the battery status and the general functioning of the pacemaker can be tested over the telephone. This is generally done every one to two months.
im 19 year old and i go for a pacemaker on the 27th of this month and i was wondering what the possability is of my body rejecting the pace maker as my body has rejected my belly button piercing and etc, and if my body does reject the pacemaker what are the possible things that could happen, other than my complete hear block and am healthy
When my Pacemaker "kicks" in this cause my shoulder to twitch rather forcefully. Now it is running down my arm and into my fingers.
this is rather exhausting. Should I be concerned
Thank you for your help.
It would make sense to think that it's caused by the need for a battery replacement, since the pacemaker is just that, a pacemaker and if it's not working, then her HR will be affected.
Hope this helps.
Dear Shabna,
The reason that there are 2 incisions for the pacemaker placement is that your child is an infant, which means that the pacemaker is an epicardial pacemaker system. This means that the pacemaker leads have to be attached to the outside of the heart, and this is separate from the placement of the pacemaker generator in the abdomen. Your father, as an adult with large blood vessels, has a transvenous pacemaker system.
My pacemaker is ten years old, has two leads. I am 68 years old. One of the leads has problem with the insulation and started to suck up too much battery so they shut it off. I have Sick Sinus Node and AFib. The doctor wants to run the battery down before replacing it. There is supposed to be 4 years left on the battery, and I pace 35% of the time.
My husband's 1st pacemaker was nearing its 10 yr. warranty time in March 2022. We had testing done in November 2021 so we could be prepared in advance for a replacement when the time came in 2022. The technician did some tests and insisted his pacemaker had maybe 12 - 18 months left before it needed replacement. We protested the findings so they scheduled a 6 month appt for June 2022.
Many times, pacemaker replacement can be done under local anesthesia. This is not a difficult procedure. Absolutely get another opinion!
Obviously, this decision has to be balanced with the understanding that it will be a lifelong requirement, and neither the pacemaker generator nor the leads will last forever, so trying to go as long as you can without is certainly desirable. Yet, with these findings, you may only buy him 6-12 extra months and, meanwhile, it may put him at a bit of risk of suddenly developing complete atrioventricular block.
Doctors will not operate on AAA or pacemaker replacement due to frailness. What can I expect as the battery on the pacemaker fails?
In March my Mother had a replacement pacemaker box fitted. As soon as she came back to the ward she complained of intense pain in her sternum, she was told by the nurses that she was suffering from indigestion, they gave her Gaviscon. Although she was still in pain they discharged her two hours later.
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