Missed beats with Pacemaker

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Had my first checkup one month after Pacemaker was inserted. They said
everything seems fine but the technician mentioned that I had had
13,700+ missed beats in the month.

That would be consistent with having paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Quoted message said:

She said it seems a lot but
Cardiologist made no comment. It is a dual chamber P/maker meant to
prevent the rate going below 60 or abov 130.

The former if set at 60.

Quoted message said:

I feel better but don't
understand about the missed beats as I understood the decision to fit
PM was because of them. Had a new MV last yr and ben told I now have
1st deg heart block. Am I safe with all these mised beats

Yes.

Quoted message said:

and heart
block generally continue to deteriorate? Diana

Not first degree, typically.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com

On 30 Aug 2003 14:12:37 -0700, [email hidden] (Dr. Andrew B.

Chung said:

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Had my first checkup one month after Pacemaker was inserted. They said
everything seems fine but the technician mentioned that I had had
13,700+ missed beats in the month.

That would be consistent with having paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

I had my PM, a DDDR, implanted last year to handle bradicardia and had
four PM checks so far.
I was and still am affected by paroxysmal afib, however I do not read
anything like missed beats on the PM check results delivered to me.
Instead, those results report a number of statistics including two
named "High atrial frequency episodes" and "Mode changes".
I have two questions on that:
1) between the above "high atrial frequency episodes" and "mode
changes", which is the one directly related to my afib episodes?
2) would you kindly explain the relationship between afib in general
and the "missed beats" mentioned by florald?

Thanks in advance
--
uplbet
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(uplbet) said:

On 30 Aug 2003 14:12:37 -0700, [email hidden] (Dr. Andrew B.

Chung said:

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Had my first checkup one month after Pacemaker was inserted. They said
everything seems fine but the technician mentioned that I had had
13,700+ missed beats in the month.

That would be consistent with having paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

I had my PM, a DDDR, implanted last year to handle bradicardia and had
four PM checks so far.
I was and still am affected by paroxysmal afib, however I do not read
anything like missed beats on the PM check results delivered to me.
Instead, those results report a number of statistics including two
named "High atrial frequency episodes" and "Mode changes".
I have two questions on that:
1) between the above "high atrial frequency episodes" and "mode
changes", which is the one directly related to my afib episodes?
2) would you kindly explain the relationship between afib in general
and the "missed beats" mentioned by florald?

Thanks in advance

Some info on Afib can be found at

www.afibbers.org

Bob

(Complex592) said:

They can look at the EGM and decide why the atrial rate is high, sinus
tachycardia, SVT, atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation. The EGM gives us a
picture of what is going on in terms of cardiac cycles. Now we can see by
observing the relationships of the atrial rate to the ventricular rate as well
as the regularity and intrinsic rate as to what the rhythm is. Mode switches
occur when the parameter for doing so is turned on and atrial fibrillation
occurs for a duration preset by the programmer of a specific amount of beats.
What mode switching does is to stop the atrial tracking when you go into atrial
fibrillation so that the pacemaker will not cause you to have a rapid heart
rate as a result of tracking the rapidly occuring fib waves which are sensed as
P waves.

Thank you very much for the explanation (and the reassurance from Dr
Chung makes me feel better too). Before my MV replacement I was in AF
which is why I had the this very new treatment they are doing at The
Brompton in London but which, for me, failed. In the early months
after the op I was told I had atrial flutter and then in early July at
the local heart hospital where I am now being treated they were not
happy with the ECG and I was definitely given the impression that it
was the missed beats which made them decide I needed a PM urgently.
I forgot to mention that at the check-up the history showed there had
been about 7 episodes where the rate had gone up to 176 or so but for
only half a minute. My family seemed to think that after all these
treatments I was going to be like my old self (pre 2000) but its
obvious that will not happen - I'm very low on energy. But the PM has
certainly made a difference. Thank you again, Diana
PS The RF ablation I had for the AF is being changed - they are now
going to start using microwaves.

many thanks to all for the information, and best regards
--
uplbet
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