Re: Bradycardia/Afib

Posted By Jackie Mossburg on February 21, 1999 at 13:09:21:

In Reply to: Re: Bradycardia/Afib posted by CCF CARDIO MD-APS on February 21, 1999 at 07:41:05:






My cardiologist has mentioned the possibility of my having to have a pacemaker.  I have bradycardia due to medication I have taken to manage lone atrial fibrillation.  When I am not in Afib, I am able to engage in strenuous exercise and live a very full life.  I am frightened of a pacemaker and I can't imagine living with a heart that beats fast.  If a pacemaker is implated, can it ever be removed?  How complicated is such a procedure?  Can a pacemaker be damaging to heart tissue?  I read your postings and answers every day.  It has been a wonderful vehicle for me to learn about my condition.  Thank you so much for having this forum.  




Dear Jackie,
Yes pacemakers can be removed, although there are many less experts of removal then there are experts of placing pacemakers (so if it ever comes to that, seek care by a specialist in extractions.)
Pacemaker implantation is a procedure with some minor skin surgery, it is for the most part low risk, but you must speak with your doctor regarding the specific risks involved (infection, bleeding, arrhythmias, etc.) prior to having it done (even though as I said they are very small.)
The pacemaker wire or lead that sits in the right ventricle can be damaging to the valve that it crosses (the tricuspid valve), and it can puncture through the wall of the right ventricle, however these rarely occur and are unpredictable.
Thank you for using the Heart Forum.  You might consider, as many patients do, a second opinion before having the procedure done, i.e. a second opinion with a rhythm specialist- and electrophysiologist.

I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.




Is the removal of a pacemaker more invasive than the implantation?  Does it involve open heart surgery?