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Hello, my mom needs to get a pacemaker. She is 73 years old. I was wondering if we should just go with whatever the doctor recommends or if anyone has a preference for a specific brand or model. She also has frequent, but on/off AFIB in case that makes a difference. Thank you!
Hello, my mom needs to get a pacemaker. She is 73 years old. I was wondering if we should just go with whatever the doctor recommends or if anyone has a preference for a specific brand or model. She also has frequent, but on/off AFIB in case that makes a difference. Thank you!
It's probably better to leave the choice of pacemaker up to the doctor who will be implanting and managing your mother's pacemaker. Pacemakers aren't like vehicles for which people have preferences for manufacturers, models, colors and other features, there are a number of types, models and brands but they have very similar features and all function superbly when they are implanted in patients who need them. So pacemakers are generally chosen depending on the patient's condition, diagnosis ( as in, what kind of underlying cardiac electrical issues he/ she has, for example bradycardia due to heart block, sinus node dysfunction), with fhe patient's lifestyle and activity level taken into consideration. I can't honestly say one brand is better than another, they're all excellent and are pretty much equivalent in their functions, battery life and dependibility. Their features are similar from brand to brand. The main brands out there currently that come to what passes for my mind are Medtronic, St.Jude (Abbott), Biotronics.
Your mother's doctor ( probably an electrophysiologist- this is a cardiologist with expertise in the cardiac electrical system) is
familiar with your mother's cardiac conditions, and with the ins and outs of all types of pacemakers, ( though I imagine they have their preferences), so all this would go into the doctor's consideration of pacemaker choice for your mom. Pacemakers are customized for each patient by settings for various functions which enable the pacemaker to perform at its optimum level for each patient. Depending on the patient, sometimes getting optimum settings can take a number of tries and visits to the doctor/pacemaker clinic, but the idea is to get the settings where the patient feels good and can live life the way he/she wants to.
And just so you know, pacemakers are not meant to control tachyarrhythmias like A-Fib. They are intended to keep the heart rate from going too low. But this feature can be used in patients with both bradycardia and tachycardia ( which I suspect from what you mention about your mother's needing a pacemaker and having A-Fib is what she has), in treating the tachyarrhythmia with enough medication, without that medication causing the heart rate to go too low ( the pacemaker prevents that).
As I understand it, dual chamber pacemakers are usually recommended for people with sinus node dysfunction ( or sick sinus syndrome) so that is likely what your mother will get. This pacemaker is set up with leads to both the atrium and ventricle, with pacing of either or both as needed ( "on demand", allowing the heart to initiate its own beat if able).
Your mother will likely, I imagine, get a pacemaker with wireless access (via Bluetooth) so it can communicate with a monitor that she will be given along with her pacemaker. Depending on the brand, this monitor can be a nightstand-top box or cell-phone sized device , or even a phone app that receives data from the pacemaker during the wee hours of the morning, and the monitor sends that data to a manufacturer-maintained site for access by the patient's doctor/pacemaker clinic on a schedule set up by your doctor. This is all done automatically with input from the patient. That's a great feature, IMO.
Along with this wireless capability many pacemakere also have alert functions which will notify a patient's provider of an event (such as a long episode of A-Fib, ventricular tachycardia, readings out of set ranges, issues with leads etc). The threshholds for these alerts and the mode of notification are set by the doctor/healthcare provider.
I think I'm in the same boat with your mother. I was diagnosed with sinus node dysfunction (sick sinus syndrome-tachy-brady) several years ago, and received a dual chamber St. Jude pacemaker almost 3 years ago. I have a wireless setup with the pacemaker/monitor and they set it up for transmitted reports every 90 days. They also set up a tachycardia alert at a heart rate of 140 for me, that would be a notification to the pacemaker clinic in my cardiologists office. There have been other alerts though, relating to tachycardia events they identified as A-Fib, including several hours long events I wasn't aware of. They increased some of the medication, and for the longer events they called me into the office, and started me on anticoagulation (Eliquis).
We really have to credit the remote monitoring reports for alerting my doctor about the A-Fib events I had, that was news to me and the doc. I think they are right when they said this may well have saved me from having a stroke as they would never have known about the A-Fib ( nor would I) without those alerts or reports.
Anyhoo, best of luck to your mom. There is a website for those with pacemakers you might want to check out. Lots of great information there, I think it's. www.pacemakerclub.com
I have a Metronic one. Recent reports allude to recalls of some of their devices. I don't know if that is what you are referring to.
Most cardiac electrophysiologists will have their own preference of ones they are familiar with and often will have an alliance with that company. I don't know if its contractual or not but wouldn't doubt it. The company also hires people to work with the electrophysiologists for office visits or hospital implants procedures.
The electrotrodes and wires and actual device are MRI safe now with special handling. I had a device replacement after 10 years and that previous device wasn't completely MRI safe.
It's probably better to leave the choice of pacemaker up to the doctor who will be implanting and managing your mother's pacemaker. Pacemakers aren't like vehicles for which people have preferences for manufacturers, models, colors and other features, there are a number of types, models and brands but they have very similar features and all function superbly when they are implanted in patients who need them. So pacemakers are generally chosen depending on the patient's condition, diagnosis ( as in, what kind of underlying cardiac electrical issues he/ she has, for example bradycardia due to heart block, sinus node dysfunction), with fhe patient's lifestyle and activity level taken into consideration. I can't honestly say one brand is better than another, they're all excellent and are pretty much equivalent in their functions, battery life and dependibility. Their features are similar from brand to brand. The main brands out there currently that come to what passes for my mind are Medtronic, St.Jude (Abbott), Biotronics.
Your mother's doctor ( probably an electrophysiologist- this is a cardiologist with expertise in the cardiac electrical system) is
familiar with your mother's cardiac conditions, and with the ins and outs of all types of pacemakers, ( though I imagine they have their preferences), so all this would go into the doctor's consideration of pacemaker choice for your mom. Pacemakers are customized for each patient by settings for various functions which enable the pacemaker to perform at its optimum level for each patient. Depending on the patient, sometimes getting optimum settings can take a number of tries and visits to the doctor/pacemaker clinic, but the idea is to get the settings where the patient feels good and can live life the way he/she wants to.
And just so you know, pacemakers are not meant to control tachyarrhythmias like A-Fib. They are intended to keep the heart rate from going too low. But this feature can be used in patients with both bradycardia and tachycardia ( which I suspect from what you mention about your mother's needing a pacemaker and having A-Fib is what she has), in treating the tachyarrhythmia with enough medication, without that medication causing the heart rate to go too low ( the pacemaker prevents that).
As I understand it, dual chamber pacemakers are usually recommended for people with sinus node dysfunction ( or sick sinus syndrome) so that is likely what your mother will get. This pacemaker is set up with leads to both the atrium and ventricle, with pacing of either or both as needed ( "on demand", allowing the heart to initiate its own beat if able).
Your mother will likely, I imagine, get a pacemaker with wireless access (via Bluetooth) so it can communicate with a monitor that she will be given along with her pacemaker. Depending on the brand, this monitor can be a nightstand-top box or cell-phone sized device , or even a phone app that receives data from the pacemaker during the wee hours of the morning, and the monitor sends that data to a manufacturer-maintained site for access by the patient's doctor/pacemaker clinic on a schedule set up by your doctor. This is all done automatically with input from the patient. That's a great feature, IMO.
Along with this wireless capability many pacemakere also have alert functions which will notify a patient's provider of an event (such as a long episode of A-Fib, ventricular tachycardia, readings out of set ranges, issues with leads etc). The threshholds for these alerts and the mode of notification are set by the doctor/healthcare provider.
I think I'm in the same boat with your mother. I was diagnosed with sinus node dysfunction (sick sinus syndrome-tachy-brady) several years ago, and received a dual chamber St. Jude pacemaker almost 3 years ago. I have a wireless setup with the pacemaker/monitor and they set it up for transmitted reports every 90 days. They also set up a tachycardia alert at a heart rate of 140 for me, that would be a notification to the pacemaker clinic in my cardiologists office. There have been other alerts though, relating to tachycardia events they identified as A-Fib, including several hours long events I wasn't aware of. They increased some of the medication, and for the longer events they called me into the office, and started me on anticoagulation (Eliquis).
We really have to credit the remote monitoring reports for alerting my doctor about the A-Fib events I had, that was news to me and the doc. I think they are right when they said this may well have saved me from having a stroke as they would never have known about the A-Fib ( nor would I) without those alerts or reports.
Anyhoo, best of luck to your mom. There is a website for those with pacemakers you might want to check out. Lots of great information there, I think it's. www.pacemakerclub.com
(Google Pacemaker club if the link doesn't work)
Thank you very much for the detailed answer! I appreciate it. I went with her this morning to meet with the surgeon and you are correct. He said there are two electrical problems going on with my mom's heart, occasional AFIB and slow heartbeat. In order to more aggressively treat her AFIB, she needs a pacemaker because her heart monitor occasionally shows that her heart stops beating for 3-4 seconds and then has a slow heartbeat thereafter. So if they increase medication for her AFIB that could make her slow heartbeat worse. He recommended Medtronics and said their algorithm also helps detect AFIB, but would look into potentially getting ablation at a later date if medication doesn't work post-pacemaker. Anyways, thanks again! I'm happy to hear that your pacemaker is doing well for you. The link worked as well. All the best!
I have a Metronic one. Recent reports allude to recalls of some of their devices. I don't know if that is what you are referring to.
Most cardiac electrophysiologists will have their own preference of ones they are familiar with and often will have an alliance with that company. I don't know if its contractual or not but wouldn't doubt it. The company also hires people to work with the electrophysiologists for office visits or hospital implants procedures.
The electrotrodes and wires and actual device are MRI safe now with special handling. I had a device replacement after 10 years and that previous device wasn't completely MRI safe.
I am good to go.
Thank you for the response! Her doctor said we can request any brand, but he personally would recommend Medtronic. I read about the recall notice in India I believe during my research as well, but after meeting her doctor in person, he seemed very knowledgeable and just went with his recommendation. It's great the new ones are now MRI safe that was also a concern of mine prior to doing any research. I'm happy you've had success with your pacemaker all these years. It makes me feel much better. Thanks again!
Thank you, we went with the Dr. recommendation (medtronics) her procedure is scheduled on this coming Tuesday.
My best to her, and you too. It's a quick surgery, and depending on how early it's done and how she is, she may be able to go home the same day. If not, it's an overnight stay. There is a little bit of discomfort, but I was able to keep that under control with extra strength acetominophen, though I did take the acetominophen PM to sleep better, and not inadvertently flip my left arm over my head at night. They will give your mom and you specific post-surgical instructions.
If I were betting on it, I'd bet she will be getting a dual chamber Medtronic Azure model, these have wireless capability, and either a nightstand monitor ( a round white device with strips of light in the center, reminds me of a cupholder), or they ( doctor, pacemaker techs) may opt for a phone app ( Medtronic's MyCareLink) to use as a monitor.
My sister ( who also had sick sinus syndrome and A-Fib), had a Medtronic Azure pacemaker with a phone app, she was happy with it and felt so much better after she got her pacemaker. My daughter ( who got her first pacemaker at age 27), had her generator- not the leads, changed, got a Medtronic Azure in the summer of 2020. She has a nightstand monitor.
We all felt so much better after we got our pacemakers, and I bet your mom will too, with enough medication to keep her A-Fib at bay, and a heart rate that's high enough for her to carry out her daily activities and do what she wants to.
My best to her, and you too. It's a quick surgery, and depending on how early it's done and how she is, she may be able to go home the same day. If not, it's an overnight stay. There is a little bit of discomfort, but I was able to keep that under control with extra strength acetominophen, though I did take the acetominophen PM to sleep better, and not inadvertently flip my left arm over my head at night. They will give your mom and you specific post-surgical instructions.
If I were betting on it, I'd bet she will be getting a dual chamber Medtronic Azure model, these have wireless capability, and either a nightstand monitor ( a round white device with strips of light in the center, reminds me of a cupholder), or they ( doctor, pacemaker techs) may opt for a phone app ( Medtronic's MyCareLink) to use as a monitor.
My sister ( who also had sick sinus syndrome and A-Fib), had a Medtronic Azure pacemaker with a phone app, she was happy with it and felt so much better after she got her pacemaker. My daughter ( who got her first pacemaker at age 27), had her generator- not the leads, changed, got a Medtronic Azure in the summer of 2020. She has a nightstand monitor.
We all felt so much better after we got our pacemakers, and I bet your mom will too, with enough medication to keep her A-Fib at bay, and a heart rate that's high enough for her to carry out her daily activities and do what she wants to.
Thank you very much once again! I appreciate the kind words as well. This makes me feel a lot better because my thoughts on pacemaker procedures initially were high risk of death and then low quality of life afterwards. I wish you and your family all the best. 27 years is so young! I’m glad it’s working out for her as well. When I find out the exact model, etc I’ll post just for yours or anyone’s curiosity.
Just make sure it doesn't have a Die Hard battery.
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