Life expectancy for chf patients with defibulator

[robt71635]

I have chf and I was diagnois with it in 06.  I was given a defibulator with 3 leads. I was wondering what is the life expectancy of a patient that has the help of a defibulator.  I am now 40 but was 36 when i received it.

[ed34]

I just read on the internet that some icd devices have the ability to be programmed to emit a sound before a shock is delivered. Maybe yours has this ability?

[ed34]

May I ask you a couple of questions about the debribillator? I am fascinated by them. Such a small device being able to pack a punch is incredible. Do you feel much of a jolt? and how many shocks can the battery give before replacement?

[kevk]

Glad we could help you feel better. Yes they sell lots of different heart monitors that you wear like a watch that will give you your heart rate. I do not know any brand names but have read about them. You should be able to goggle it for some information or maybe someone in this forum can help out.

[robt71635]

Thank you all for the encouragement you have given me.  I was part of a experiment the St Jude was doing and I was given a ICD with 3 wiires.  It was something they were doing and the only way i could get it was that i go into the experiment. The 3rd wire is one that as the doctors say "Makes my chambers play together" they pump at the same time to give me more blood flow thru my heart. The first year i had it my defibulator went off 7 times and i was shell shocked not knowing when it would go off. Tell me is there some kind of monitor like a watch or something that I can wear that will let me know when my heart is reaching targets wear it may go off? I heard they sell them in stores. That should be something that the doctor can prescribe and insurance pays for it.

[kevk]

This May I will have a ICD for nineteen years, Just had my fifth one implanted last year. Everyone`s hearts are different but with the med`s and the technology they have today most people with chf live longer some even improve over time. The newer pacing capability`s have been proven to bring  EF`s in some people up as much as 20% and higher. They are also using LVAD`s a small pump that connects to your heart to take over for the pumping function, And as ED said stem cell research has come along way. Transplant patients are also living longer, I keep the faith that if my heart gives up there will be other options. My ICD saved me back in 1995 so I got this much more time.

[ed34]

Plus theres always the positive side of ongoing research. With heart problems being such a huge problem in the US and UK, you won't believe the amount of money that is pumped into big projects. I've posted this before, but research into growing new hearts for patients has progressed leaps and bounds. In a Lab in the US, they have taken dead mice and rabbit hearts and used chemicals to remove all the muscular tissue, leaving only a fragile skeleton structure. They then coat these with stem cells which are coded to become cardiac tissue and they grow a complete, working heart. They have now found a way to take our own stem cells from bone marrow, recode them to be cardiac tissue and make them multiply into millions of copies. I believe research is not saying that a dead pigs heart will make the best frame because it's so similar to our own heart. Coated with our own stem cells, we will have brand new hearts for transplantation and not a single rejection problem because the cells are our own.
Here is a video but it's a bit old now, still it explains the basics...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9hEFUpTVPA

The last I heard, they believed that this opportunity should be available in less than 10 years.

[ireneo]

My Dad lived 6 years but he could have lived longer. He chose not to take the meds the way his doctor recommended and chose to continue smoking and eating cr@ppy food and sitting all day watching TV. He actually ended up dying from lung cancer.

With the right care, I imagine you'll live for quite awhile yet. I know some folks who are on their third ICD. Don't measure your life span against others because each person has their own risk factors. You have youth on your side. My Dad was 80 when he died.