My mother-in-law will be 90 in April. Her doctor wants to put in a pacemaker to stabilize her heart. She has lung cancer, quite a large mass but apparently not very fast-growing. She has diabetes, which might mean amputation in her future, and she has Alzheimers that is no long mild but not very advanced. She often recognizes my husband. Some days she seems to really enjoy life.
I cannot understand the doctor's recommendation. It seems as if she will be prevented from having a relatively good death.
Any thoughts or advice? My husband and his sister are the only family left. A living will means that the decision is really theirs, but they don't want to kill their mother.
I can only say that I have pvcs and pacs but also other problems and had to get a pacemaker ten days ago. I would much rather have my pvc's anytime than this! They are very annoying but nothing like having something implanted in your body that you can feel all the time.
Good luck to you!
I totally agree with RNRita. having run and EKG department, I have never seen anyone recieve a pacemaker for a PVC/PAC issue unless there was some kind of an underlying and sometimes serious heart problem going on.
Yes, you can definitely get a pacemaker for various reasons. I was an RN on a critical care cardiac unit so I am a "bit" of an expert. I will say again, however, if you are just having PVCs that are BENIGN but troublesome like most of us, they will NOT put a pacemaker in for that reason. Before I was a nurse, I tried my best, thinking that was the only answer. My cardiologist explained, while looking at me like I had two heads. Now that I have worked with cardiac, as well as learning acute telemetry, I do understand why they won't.
I see no edit button word I mean is manufacture
you can also read patient information over at some of the companies that maufacture the pacemakers themselves sites like biotronik , medtronic , st jude medical etc
their patient information pages are very readable
the one who decides if you get a pacemaker is your cardiologist after many tests and evaluation and sometimes your heart surgeon that is if you had one he can also say you need a pacemaker , is many people have pacemakers and/or ICD for various medical heart conditions
there is a site pacemakerclub where you can ask your question also to get a second opinion on this there are pacemakers for several different things I am no expert just a someone who has a pacemaker for heart failure and mine does keep my complete heart going otherwise I would not be here for all pacemaker patients or people who want info that is a useful site just for patients and some pacemaker technicians answers questions there also
A pacemaker is for people whose rhythms go too slow. When it is in place, it will pick up and start pacing for the heart. It cannot make a heart regular. So, to answer your question, it is not an answer for PVCs.