Pacemaker Surgery? Please help?!?!?

Question

So I have a few questions regarding what goes on during and after having a pacemaker surgery:

1) How long does the surgery normally last?

2) After the surgery, what is the routine that the nurse and doctor will be doing to you?

3) How long after the surgery, can you be able to leave the hospital and go home?

4) Once at home, at are the discomforts we will be feeling? Any kind of soreness or pain?

5) If we do have any sort of discomfort, how long will it take for it to go away? In other ways when will the healing process be over?

6) After the healing process and everything is normal again, what are the activities we should avoid doing? Any objects to stay away from?

7) Will there be at requirement for daily check-ups? If yes, what are the intervals of each visit?


Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

This will help you out:


Surgeries
Pacemaker Surgery

Understanding Pacemakers

Your heart has an electrical system that controls how fast or slow it beats. The natural pacemaker sends electrical impulses from the top of the heart (the atria), towards the bottom of the heart (the ventricles). When electrical signals reach these chambers, the heart contracts and then relaxes. The heart pumps blood to al parts of the body. This pumping makes waves of pressure that are felt as our pulse.

When the electrical signal is intermittent or slow, you may need an artificial pacemaker. You may have had one of the following symptoms:

* Dizziness – when the heart rate drops, even for a few seconds, you may feel dizzy or faint. You may fall down;
* Blackouts or fainting spells;
* Blurred vision;
* Shortness of breath; and
* Chest pain

The heartbeat is usually 50 to 110 beats per minute. However, it may be as low as 30 to 40 beats per minute if you have a condition called “heart block”. There are different types of heart block.

* Complete heart block – your natural pacemaker cannot send impulses between the atria and ventricles.
* Intermittent heart block – your natural pacemaker works some of the time.
* Sick sinus syndrome – sometimes the natural pacemaker is too slow or races uncontrollably and dizziness or fainting may result.

Electronic Pacemakers

An electronic pacemaker is made up of two parts.

* Pulse Generator – contains the circuitry and battery that generate the electrical signal. The battery can last from 6 to 15 years, depending on the type of pacemaker and how much you use it.
* Leads – the wires that carry the electrical signal from the pulse generator to the heart. An electrode is located at the end of the lead. Through this, the pacemaker monitors (senses) the heart’s electrical activity and sends out electrical impulses (paces) only when needed.

Types of Electronic Pacemakers

* A “single chamber pacemaker” can stimulate either the atria or ventricles.
* A “dual chamber pacemaker” can stimulate both the atria and ventricles.
* A “rate responsive pacemaker” uses special sensors that detect a need to increase and decrease your heart rate where necessary.

Before Pacemaker Surgery

A doctor will come to see you before your surgery to explain the procedure and have you sign a form that gives the surgeon permission to do the surgery. If your heart rate is too slow, you may be on a monitor called “telemetry”. This allows the nurses and doctors to watch your heart rate all the time until the electronic pacemaker is implanted. The anaesthetist (the doctor who monitors you and gives you your medications during the surgery) will want you to fast for a while before your surgery.

The Surgery

You will receive a local anesthetic to freeze the area where the pacemaker will be inserted. You will be awake but relaxed. The surgery will last 30 to 60 minutes. The anaesthetist and operating room nurses will be there to attend to your needs. The anaesthetist will start an intravenous in a vein to give you antibiotic and other medications to relax you. In the operating room your heartbeat will be monitored along with your blood pressure. When your pacemaker is inserted you probably won’t feel any pain, but you may feel a pressure sensation. A few tests will be performed to ensure the pacemaker is functioning appropriately.

After your surgery you will be taken to the recovery room. The nurses will check your dressing over your pacemaker site, your intravenous and take you back to your room as soon as you are ready.

Your incision will be three to four inches long, probably on the left side of your chest (if you are right-handed), just below the collar bone. If you are left-handed, inform your nurse or doctor and the pacemaker can be placed on your right side. The stitches will dissolve as the incision heals. You will not need to come back to the hospital to get them removed.

After Surgery

You may still have an intravenous when you come back to your room. After you have eaten and taken fluids, your intravenous will be removed. The doctor may monitor your rate on “telemetry” for a few hours. This is to check that your pacemaker is working properly. After the freezing wears off, you may feel some discomfort where the pacemaker was inserted. Your nurse can give you medicine to help relieve the pain.

You will have a small dressing over your incision. This dressing will be removed the morning after the surgery. It is normal to see some swelling or a bruise around the incision site. This will go away in about one week.

Before leaving the hospital you will have your pacemaker checked at the pacemaker clinic. If you have any questions, or would like your family to go with you to the pacemaker clinic, please tell your nurse.

For 10 to 14 days after the surgery you should not lift your arm above your head on the side where the pacemaker was implanted (normal movement is okay). This will help keep the pacemaker wire in good position.

It is normal to occasionally feel weak and tired for the first month after surgery. Before leaving the hospital you will usually get a temporary pacemaker ID card. This card has your name on it and the type of pacemaker and leads that you have. You will get a permanent card to replace the temporary card in the mail. You will also receive an appointment notice from the pacemaker clinic six to eight weeks after discharge.

Be sure to ask for an application form to get a medic alert bracelet. This alerts others that you have a pacemaker.

At Home After Surgery

Once you are home, you can shower or bath. Do not direct the showerhead directly on the incision until it is completely healed. You can continue with all of your previous activities (housework, gardening, etc.) when you feel ready.

Remember to tell any new doctor, dentist or therapist that you have a pacemaker. Some tests or medicine may interfere with your pacemaker. Have your pacemaker ID card available to show them if they want to see it.

Points to Remember

* You will come back to the pacemaker clinic once or twice a year for a routine visit to ensure your pacemaker is functioning appropriately. It is important to keep these appointments even if you feel well. If you have problems between visits, speak with your family doctor.
* Counting your pulse is a good way to check that your pacemaker is working properly. Your doctor will set your pacemaker to beat at a certain number of beats per minute. By putting your fingertips on a point on the inside of your wrist, or over an artery in your neck, you can feel your pulse. The number of pulse beats per minute is the same as the number of heartbeats. Count your pulse and keep a record of any symptoms such as shortness of breath, racing heart beat (palpitations) etc. Don’t be alarmed if your pulse rate is higher than the pacemaker’s set rate. The pacemaker is there for a back up so your heart rate doesn’t beat too slowly. If your heart rate increases dramatically (above 120 beats per minute) please call or see your family doctor, especially if it is associated with shortness of breath or chest pain.
* If you wish to participate in active contact sports, try and avoid contact to the pacemaker.
* You can wear protective pads under straps, suspenders or seat belts.
* If you work with heavy equipment, arc welders or ignition systems, you should talk to the pacemaker clinic staff about the potential for problems. If you feel light headed or dizzy when near to, or when using an electrical device with large electromagnetic fields, move away and symptoms should subside.
* The metal detector used in airports may go off because of the metal in your pacemaker. Make sure to tell airport security staff you have a pacemaker. The metal detector will not affect your pacemaker. Have your pacemaker ID card available.
* You may have a microwave oven in your home. No special precautions are necessary, as microwaves are well insulated and will not interfere with the functioning of your pacemaker.
* You may operate any of the electrical devices in your home. These include shavers, and electric kitchen appliances. They will not affect how your pacemaker works.
* If it unlikely that cell phones will affect your pacemaker, but use the following guidelines. If your pacemaker is on the left side, use the right side to talk, and vice versa. Do not carry your cell phone in your breast pocket over your pacemaker site.

Problems to Watch For

* Fever
* Soreness
* Drainage
* Redness

Tell your family doctor if you notice any of these signs of infection.

* Sudden shortness of breath or dizziness.

A slow heart rate (less than your minimum programmed rate), or an extremely fast heart rate (greater than 120 or your upper programmed rate), can mean your pacemaker or heart’s electrical system is not functioning properly. Call your family doctor or go the nearest emergency room.

Answer 2

1) How long does the surgery normally last? About 1 hour +/-. They will give you a sedative before the surgery to help you relax. You'll probably end up sleeping through the whole thing and not even know anything is going on. The doctor will use an anesthetic to locally deaden the area.

2) After the surgery, what is the routine that the nurse and doctor will be doing to you? Checking your vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation in your blood), just keeping an eye on you. Usually pacemaker patient's do not even go to the Recovery Room, they usually just go back to their hospital room to recover.

3) How long after the surgery, can you be able to leave the hospital and go home? Probably about 4 hours. After the medication wears off that they gave you to make you drowsy.

4) Once at home, at are the discomforts we will be feeling? Any kind of soreness or pain? Just some mild discomfort where the pocket is where the pacemaker was inserted. The doctor opens an area below your left shoulder (the middle of your left chest usually) and forms a pocket for the pacemaker to rest in and inserts it under the skin. Also, your left arm will be sore and you shouldn't raise it. It will be sore and slightly painful for a time, but he/she can give you medications that will help it. Most people just go back to work the next day.

5) If we do have any sort of discomfort, how long will it take for it to go away? In other ways when will the healing process be over? You should feel good the next day, mainly from the medications they gave you. You will be sore (as above). Probably about a week and you will be good as new if not sooner.

6) After the healing process and everything is normal again, what are the activities we should avoid doing? Any objects to stay away from? Everyone is different. Your doctor is the only one that can answer this question. However, you should be able to do just about anything you were able to do before and many things that you were UNABLE to do before.

7) Will there be at requirement for daily check-ups? If yes, what are the intervals of each visit? Not daily, but your doctor will tell you how often he/she wants to see you. Probably a follow up in 2 weeks and then 6 months, etc. They will periodically want to check the pacemaker (completely normal) to make sure it has not fired, the batteries are working properly, etc.) Pacemakers are extremely reliable and you will not even know it's there most of the time.

Good luck. Isn't Medical Science wonderful?

Answer 3

Pacemaker Surgery Recovery

Answer 4

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Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Pacemaker Surgery? Please help?!?!?
So I have a few questions regarding what goes on during and after having a pacemaker surgery:

1) How long does the surgery normally last?

2) After the surgery, what is the routine that the nurse and doctor will be doing to you?

3) How long after the surgery, can you be able to leave the...

Answer 6

I can't answer you like someone who has had it, but I can answer you like someone who has watched the surgery...
1. Your not asleep, so you don't have to worry about not waking up
2. The surgery only takes like 20 minutes, half hour,
3. Of the ones I've seen people don't complain of any pain really.
Most people go home the same day.
You will probably have to carry a card so you can get through a metal dectector.
Pacemakers are supposed to make your life better. And from what I've heard, they do. You should have more energy and be able to do MORE things.

I have heard, though, that the first few times it goes off, you notice it, and its like a little electrical shock, but supposedly, people get used to it and it's no big deal anymore.

Answer 7

I have had surgery for an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator which is a lot like pacemaker and needs almost the same surgery.

1) An hour is a good estimate of how long I was in surgery. Before this you will likely get to lay around in the hospital for a while. They will have some basic tests, then minor surgery preparations. 15 minutes before the operation they gave me a pill that causes things to go hazy (the polite way to describe it) At the surgery, they will cover you head with a tent so you will only see one color. You will probably go to sleep.

2) After surgery I was just more or less deposited in my own room with nurses checking up on me regularly. My arm was in a sling for the rest of the day. There was enough discomfort for the rest of the day that there was no way I was going to move. You will be repeatedly warned against raising your arm above your head as that will pull the wires out of your heart in the first few weeks. After all they will put the pace maker on top of one of your shoulder muscles.

3) It would be possible for you to move enough to go home after a few hours. Any hospital with any kindness would keep you over night on their heavy amount of pain medication. They just tore apart the flesh in your shoulder, that takes time to heal. Plus the technicians will likely want to run tests on the device the next day with you awake.

4) Once at home you will have to wait for the large scar to heal over. No showers for a couple days as you can't get that area wet. No raising your arm above your head or lifting a specified amount of weight for a time period your doctor will fully explain to you. Usually 10 pound limit with no repetition for 4 to 8 weeks. No activities like golf or lifting weights either on that side.

5) That depends on how you treat yourself. If you keep any type of exercise mild and use both arms within allowed limits then you shouldn't have much problems. If you don't move the side with the pacemaker then you will lose the ability to use your arm and will need a small amount of physical therapy.

Or you could do what I did and use your other side too much. Then my left side with the battery cramped up and the small movements causes minor stings, and large movements cause screams of pain. Keep everything moderate. Having a physical job during the recovery period is not a good idea.

They will give you as much pain medication as you request for the weeks of recovery. If they don't give enough, your family doctor can perscribe more, mine did.

There will be a weight on the front of your shoulder (the battery) that will cause you soreness for a week and then it will just feel heavy. Eventually the weight will just feel normal.

6) Excessive weightlifting. After the recovery period heavy weight lifting can still pull the wires out of the heart. Anything less won't cause a problem.

Stay away from powerful magnets. Don't go through airport security scanners, they have hand scanners for people like me. Most electronics can't harm a pacemaker, but on the other hand don't press an electric drill to your shoulder or a transmitter such as a cell phone. Keep them at least a few inches away. At your ear or pants pocket is fine, shirt pocket is not.

7) They wanted to test my device after 2 weeks and 6 months. At six months they sedated me and induced heart problems for a live test of the more shockingly painful capabilities of my defibrillator. A normal pacemaker won't have this requirement.

And yes, they will want to do test every 4 months or so. I have a device that faxes in the recordings inside the my ICD so I can do two tests at home. However they want to test the pacing capabilities of my ICD so I visit the pacemaker clinic twice a year.

Answer 8

I would think it would be very low, its not at all like open heart surgery. I have a pacemaker and the surgery was easy, the not putting your arm above your head for 2 weeks not so easy.

Answer 9

It will be only about 1hour

After you will be monitored for a short time

You should be home with in 24 hr.

You will have some pain around the pace maker site that is all.

Answer 10

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Answer 11

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