pacemaker generator change

[banglamom]

I was reading about the battery changes... one thing I don't know is...  If they need to temporary pace during a pacer change... HOW do they do it?  Anybody know?  Is is transvenous or AP external paced?  It should be a while before a need a generator change.  I know though.. the more work the pacer does, the quicker I will go through the batteries.  What was put in as a back-up pacer has taken over 80% of the overall pacing.  It has been the highlight of 2008.  I am thinking of a next procedure if possible to removed the other 20% from my heart and hopefully not have to take the flecainide, diltiazem, coreg, lisinopril... anymore.  Taking all those WITHOUT any high blood pressure to start out with has been fairly devastating.  Any thoughts, any history, any wisdom out there??  Thanks.

[DMGB]

oooh....the dangers of people commenting on a topic they 'think' they know about!! slipped it back in with few stitches...a pacemaker being a little boost!! not quite the reality at all! patients with pacemakers would be dead without them...simple fact!! being 80% dependent on you pacemaker is a tad more dramatic than a slight boost!! and when its you wide awake, nervous and vulnerable on the operating table its a far cry from being slipped back in...with 'layers' if muscle and tissue being stitched before they get to top layer of skin! as opposed to death its a godsend but it is no walk in the park!!

[banglamom]

Thanks...I'll ask at work about the transvenous v. external pacing.  I had to paced with the external patches that zap you through the chest wall before I got my pacemaker.  Being 80-90% dependent means I don't think they would take away the generator with a second back up in place.  I'll figure it out.

[ireneo]

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. They gave him medication to relax him, numbed the area, made the incision and slipped the unit out. They cleaned the "pocket", unplugged the old one and connected the new. Slipped it back in and did a few stitches. After that I suppose they did a little fine tuning as far as programming is concerned.

I don't know your particular situation but generally being pacer dependent means your heart runs too slowly without a little extra boost. I hope this helps.