Implications of not having pacemaker

[eileenet49]

Hi, my husband has been advised to have a pacemaker fitted due to tachy brady syndrome. He has more or less decided that he doesn't want it as things seem to have settled down now that he has cut out caffeine. Does anyone know the implications of this decision for instance, driving, insurance etc.

He was diagnosed about four months ago after 24 hr monitor. Received letter from waiting list office telling him of the need for pacemaker but still hasn't seen a doctor/cardiologist at the hospital.

He went yesterday for pre-op and spoke to cardiology nurse but he is quite confused about the need for the pacemaker. He is on medication for high blood pressure but has always had a low pulse due to his past athleticism but started having some 'funny turns', feeling weak, lightheaded etc which prompted the visit to the hospital.

[Philippa_BHF]

Hi eileenet49,

I'm sorry you and your husband are having concerns with regard to his condition. In a nutshell, the pacemaker is generally for the 'brady' part of his condition, which I would assume is causing the funny turns/weak/lightheadedness symptoms you mentioned,so it would only kick in when his heart beat dropped below a certain rate. Those symptoms would then disappear. The tachy side of things may well have resolved with cutting out the caffeine,but some pacemaker systems 'override a 'tachy' episode to remind the heart to beat more slowly too!

The blood pressure medication is serving its purpose,and it is really good that he has always been healthy/athletic,but sometimes the heart's conduction system can still misbehave so he did the right thing in getting it looked into.

If you want to talk it through further, he/you are welcome to speak to one of the nurses on the heart helpline on 0300- 330-3311. There is someone to talk to Monday-Friday 9-5,or you can visit our website to download information about pacemakers. bhf.org.uk

I hope I've helped.

Take care,

Philippa

[eileenet49 in reply to Philippa_BHF]

Thank you very much for your response. In actual fact the turns are odd as his blood pressure falls really low and his pulse races, completely the opposite to his normal pattern. We also think that he may have sleep apnoea and wonder if this is having any bearing on his condition.

His/our main concern has been the lack of contact with a doctor or consultant at the hospital. It seems as if they have made a decision about his treatment without seeing him or discussing it with him, which doesn't feel right. He tried to explain this at his pre-op yesterday and was told that they would discuss his case at their team meeting today.

Anyway, things have moved on today. He received a phone call this afternoon saying that they will postpone his op (which was planned for next Sunday) and make an appointment for him to see the cardiologist to discuss his options which nobody has done yet.

So, we are feeling a bit more comfortable about things. Even though it may take a month or two to move on at least we should have a better idea of what we are dealing with and he will be able to make a more informed decision.

Thank you again for your reply and we will certainly call if we still need clarity.

kind regards

Eileen