Hello everyone , I’m fairly new to all of this but finding your posts very helpful.
I was fitted with a pacemaker last July after having heart pauses. While I had a monitor fitted I had a 9 second pause in my sleep! Anyway pacemaker fitted, sent home and thought that was job done but 8 weeks later I got a call from my GP saying letter from consultant said I had PAF and should start on medication.
I was prescribed Apixaban 2.5mg twice a day. I’m female and just on 60kg. Just wondering if anyone else on this dose as I notice most of you are on 5mg twice a day. I’m also unsure about the watches to monitor heart. Does anyone know if they interfere with pacemakers? Sorry if this sounds a stupid question but I’m still getting my head round all of this and don’t know if these watches have any sort of magnets in them.
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Freddiejosh
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There’s no such thing as a stupid question 😉 but I’m not able to offer an answer about pacemakers other than why would you want a monitor. Purely out of interest, I tried my Kardia monitor on a friend who has a pacemaker and the results were, for want of a word, jibberish. I’ll be interested in what others say though…..
Ps I googled “pacemakers and heart monitors” and the results were not encouraging!
A monitor will at best read your paced rhythm so absolutely pointless IMHO. Your PM keeps a record of any anomallies which will be read at each of your PM clinics. FJ has explained the reduced dose of apixaban.
Sorry don’t know if I was confusing. I had a monitor on for 7 days before I had the pacemaker fitted. I’m just not sure about these watches you can buy interfering with my pacemaker and bringing another bout of af on.
Most pacemakers only correct your pulse if it goes too low it doesn't stop it going too high. When the consultant is happy that your pacemaker is working correctly, it is checked only once a year. I need to know if my pulse is too fast and high when l feel l am going into a. fib. I just use an oximeter occasionally as l think a Kardia could interfere with the settings on my pacemaker.
The latest pacemakers the CRT-p has three wires and has brought my heart rate down from 140bpm at times to a smooth consistent 70bpm. So think they have improved a lot ?
It depends on the condition of your heart which pacemaker is implanted. Mine is just a 2 lead one which is the most common one used if your pulse goes too low and then pauses. Then they said they can give high doses of beta blockers to stop my pulse going too fast. That was the plan which a number of patients follow, but l refused the drugs as l have no q.o.l. with them.
I haven't used a heart monitor watch but do use Kardia mobile, to check my heart rate occasionally. I am in permanent AF and my pacemaker only "kicks in" if I have a long pause and my heart rate drops below 50 (each pacemaker is set individually).
I suspect it was the AF that was causing the pauses as was in my case.
I have a pacemaker but wouldn't use a Kardia as the magnets could interfere with the settings on your pacemaker. I use an oximeter on my finger occasionally if l think l am going into a.fib. just to see the rate of my pulse.
There are magnets in a pacemaker , smart phone, induction hob etc. That is why you have to keep your phone 6 inches from your pacemaker, and 2 feet from your induction hob. My oximeter gives the same result as my blood pressure machine and the monitors in the hospital. I can feel when it is fast and when it is jumping about and it shows that on my oximeter..
As I said, I use the Kardia to check my heart rate for example after walking or if I feel breathless, or just to have a check .
I know I'm in permanent AF, so that won't change, but it would show if I was having a different arrythmia.
It is not "approved" for use with a pacemaker but works perfectly well and doesn't interfere with my pacemaker, I don't know whether it's different for someone who has had "pace and ablate" and is pacemaker dependent.
Hi Freddie - the full dose for Apixaban is 5 mg so you are on half dose which would be advisable for your body weights.
Secondly I have a RST pacemaker and both Kardia and my iWatch work perfectly, although Kardia say they won’t guarantee it will work. I’m not as happy with my iWatch for ECG readings but the HR seems OK.
I have a pacemaker fitted as well . And I’m on 5mg apixiban twice a day , i wear an Apple Watch series 7 , had no problems at all with it . Although i use my watch mainly for fitness …
There are varieties of 'heart watches' and not all work the same way. While I agree with BobD that anyone with a pacemaker doesn't need one, I can explain the way they work.
Most pulse monitor watches use little flashing (often green) lights on the back together with a photocell receptor to detect the colour of your skin. When your heart beats a normal, strong, beat, the tiny capillary blood vessels in your skin swell up slightly and the skin therefore goes slightly redder. This is detected by the monitor and interpreted as a heart beat. Within specific limits, 60 - 120 bpm usually, any rhythm to this effect is averaged out and presented as your pulse rate. Some work better than others, and can judge AF but still not give accurate results.
The problem with this is that during any arrhythmia not all heart activity will produce a strong pulse. Often your heart will beat when the chambers are not properly filled, and the pulse will be weak or non existent. Also, they will not come in a regular way, and therefore are rejected by the watch as not a pulse.
More expensive and intelligent watches will also include an ECG function which relies on your active co-operation to initiate a test, and place your other hand on the watch to make two contacts across your chest and down your arms. This can then monitor the electrical activity of your heart. As all muscular activity generates electrical activity, you also have to sit quietly while the test is conducted, and not be near electrical interference like a microwave cooker or an active social media channel on the smart phone you also need to use for this test. This is the way the Apple watch, Samsung, Withings etc does it, and also the Kardia device which is not a watch and not worn on the wrist.
I can't see any way that either of these could possibly affect the operation of your pacemaker, as they are passive monitoring without any intervention.
I’m on half dose for my weight but nhs says you must meet 2 of the criteria to only be on 2.5mg apixaban and I only meet one. Don’t mind being on the lower dose as long as it does the job!
Welcome to the Forum - I can see all our Members have been very helpful already by sharing advice and their experiences with you. If you would like any help or support, feel free to visit out website, you may be interested in registering for our upcoming 'virtual' event 'LIVING WITH A PACEMAKER' on Thursday 3 February? To register for free follow the link : heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...
Alternatively, visit the patient resources on the webpage and view some of the videos? You may find the booklet 'Pacemaker Patient Information' booklet helpful?
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