Is my cardiac pacemaker functioning?

[TheGeorge]

My pacemaker is set at 60 bpm. I normally don't think about it: but today I took my blood-pressure (which was normal) and my pulse-rate was 46. Should I be concerned?

[bantam12]

Did you check it manually as well ? Could it be a bp machine malfunction?

[seasider18]

I've had this several times when checking my BP at home. I contacted the pacemaker clinic and they asked me to come in and have it checked. They said it was functioning OK and it did not allow my heart rate to drop below 60 bpm.

I then had a day in February where my BP went up to 230/130 with AF. I called 999 and paramedics attached me to monitors and got similar BP readings and my heart rate fluctuating between 44 and 160 bpm. They took me to A&E where they were getting the same readings that gradually normalised over several hours and they discharged me. I asked for a discharge letter confirming the readings and they said they would send it to my GP. He said that he would forward the letter to the pacemaker clinic and had another appointment with them. Again they checked the pacemaker and said it functioned correctly and that the discharge letter had not mentioned the low heart rate.

I phoned the ambulance people twice and only got answer phone. I asked for copy of the notes paramedics had given A&E but they did not call me back,

My BP monitor and my Oximeter are still giving me some readings in the mid 50's.

The pacemaker clinic did say that single readings are not picked up and that six (presumably consecutive ) readings need to be recorded.

[whistler in reply to seasider18]

both of my nonin pulse oximeter shows me in the low 40s sometimes, seems to be unable to get it right if Im in afib. I have pacemaker set to 60 as well, at least thats what it seems to be to me. Hope you find out whats caused yours

[seasider18 in reply to whistler]

I've never been happy with the pacemaker that I have had for five years. It started of badly as I was phoned one Sunday morning after having had a seven day monitor and was told that I needed a dual chamber pacemaker as a matter of some urgency as my heart rate was going down to 37 bpm with 3.5 second pauses.

In the cath lab my only question was is it MRI compatible as I was awaiting a scan. The stand in cardiologist said he would check and then told me it was. Later in the day when a pacemaker technician set it up he gave me a card that said it was single chamber.

I had to stay for a couple of days as I had fluid on the lung. When a consultant came round the ward with his retinue the next morning I asked why the wrong one. As I was not his patient he didn't know. Asked him again the next day and he had not found out and it was a mystery to everyone.

Each year I've had 'problems' and every time the pacemaker clinic assure me it is functioning correctly.

Although it was MRI compatible the hospital took over three years to agree a protocol to scan patients. I had to go elsewhere and have a scan privately.

[S11m]

They tell me that my pacemaker is set to 60 - but my Apple Watch records a resting pulse rate usually between 50 and 60, but occasionally, it drops to 45.

Before I had a pacemaker my HR dropped to 35 at night, with an SPO2 of 75 (in "permanent" AF)!

When I was an athlete, a resting HR of 30 was OK (with a little postural hypotension occaisionally).