In most cases, your original pacemaker leads will not need to be replaced. The American Heart Association AHA advises that if you have a pacemaker, you should be aware of your surroundings and of any devices that may interfere with it. Here is a list of devices that will not affect or damage pacemakers. Most people do not need to worry about coming into contact with these devices.
Here is a list of devices that will affect pacemakers. Your pacemaker may not work properly if you come into contact with these devices. The types of cell phones used in the United States are less than 3 watts and do not seem to affect pacemakers. But to be safe, you should keep your cell phone at least 6 inches away from your pacemaker.
When you are talking on your cell phone, hold it on the opposite side of the body from your pacemaker. Do not carry your cell phone in your breast pocket if that means that it will be within 6 inches of your pacemaker. Are lymphocytes produced in the bone marrow and then migrate to the thymus gland and lymph nodes What is heart disease? What is the primary cause of heart disease and what symptoms does it How does blood flow back to the heart from the lower extremities, since it is fighting against gravity?
In a heart transplant, if the vagus nerve is not re-transplanted, how is the heart rate kept in check? Your healthcare provider will tell you if you will need to wait. Don't lift or pull anything for a few weeks. You may also need to limit movement of your arm on the side that the pacemaker was placed. You will most likely be able to go back to your usual diet, unless your healthcare provider tells you differently.
Keep the insertion site clean and dry. You will be told when and how to bathe or shower safely. Ask your healthcare provider when you will be able to return to work. The nature of your work, your overall health, and your progress after surgery will determine how soon you may go back to work. Increased pain, redness, swelling, or bleeding or other drainage from the insertion site. Chest pain or pressure, nausea or vomiting, profuse sweating, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, or lack of energy.
After a pacemaker insertion, you will need to keep regular appointments to ensure the pacemaker is working the way it should. The healthcare provider uses a special computer, called a programmer, to review the pacemaker's activity and adjust the settings when needed. A remote monitor may also be used to allow the pacemaker to be checked at your home via the internet or telephone. Your healthcare provider may give you other instructions after the procedure, depending on your particular situation.
Always consider the following precautions. Discuss these in detail with your healthcare provider, or call the company that made your device:. Always carry an ID card that states you have a pacemaker. You may want to wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace saying that you have a pacemaker.
Let security screeners know you have a pacemaker before going through security detectors at the airport or court house. In general, airport detectors are safe for pacemakers, but the small amount of metal in the pacemaker and leads may set off the alarm.
If you are selected for additional screening by hand-held detector devices, tell the screeners that the detector wand should not be held over your pacemaker for more than a few seconds. This is because the detector wand contains magnets that may affect the function or programming of your pacemaker.
Most modern pacemakers are safe in an MRI machine. Check with your healthcare provider before having an MRI scan. Don't go near large magnetic fields such as power generation sites and industrial sites such as automobile junkyards that use large magnets.
Don't use short-wave or microwave diathermy that uses high-frequency, high-intensity signals. This may be used in physical therapy to treat muscles. The signals can interfere with or damage your pacemaker.
Turn off large motors, such as cars or boats, when working close to them. This is because they may create a magnetic field. Don't go near high-voltage or radar machinery, such as radio or television transmitters, electric arc welders, high-tension wires, radar installations, or smelting furnaces.
If you need a surgery in the future, tell the surgeon that you have a pacemaker well before the operation. Ask your cardiologist if you need to do anything before, during, or after the surgery. Ask about the safety of the electrocautery device often used during surgery to control bleeding. This may interfere with the pacemaker.
In some cases, the pacemaker's programming will be temporarily changed with a magnet during the surgery. This is done to lessen the risk of interference from the electrocautery.
During any physical or sports activity, protect yourself from trauma to the pacemaker. A blow to the chest near the pacemaker can affect its function. If you are hit in that area, see your healthcare provider to make sure your pacemaker is working the way it should be. Talk with your healthcare provider if you feel ill after any activity, or if you have questions about starting a new activity. Always contact your healthcare provider if you have any questions about using any equipment near your pacemaker.
Your healthcare provider may give you a list of other devices and procedures to avoid. Be careful when you use a cell phone or other electronic devices. Follow these tips:. It's safest to hold all cell phones to the ear farthest from your ICD or use the speaker mode setting.
Instead, carry your cell phone or other electronics in a pocket or bag below your waist. Most cell phones and electronic devices don't interfere with ICDs. You will be given a sedative to help you relax. You will be awake during the procedure. A small incision cut is made. Most often, the cut is on the left side if you are right handed of the chest below your collarbone. The pacemaker generator is then placed under the skin at this location.
The generator may also be placed in the abdomen, but this is less common. A new "leadless" pacemaker is a self-contained unit that is implanted in the right ventricle of the heart. Using live x-rays to see the area, the doctor puts the leads through the cut, into a vein, and then into the heart. The leads are connected to the generator. The skin is closed with stitches.
Most people go home within 1 day of the procedure. Pacemakers may be used for people who have heart problems that cause their heart to beat too slowly. A slow heartbeat is called bradycardia. Two common problems that cause a slow heartbeat are sinus node disease and heart block. Some pacemakers can be used to stop a heart rate that is too fast tachycardia or that is irregular.
Other types of pacemakers can be used in severe heart failure. These are called biventricular pacemakers. They help coordinate the beating of the heart chambers.
Most biventricular pacemakers implanted today can also work as implantable cardioverter defibrillators ICD.
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