Hi, have a two lead pacemaker at present and had issues from day one, 26 months since I am due to have a upgrade to a biventricular pacemaker due to heart failure.Also in AF and a cardioversion maybe planned after I have the biventricular pacemaker inserted.
Would love to hear from others who have had a 3 lead pacemaker upgrade after having a 2 lead pacemaker.
What was your symptoms with the 2 lead PM? how did you feel afterwards with a 3 lead PM? negatives & positives experiences?
Thanks
Hi Nomis21, this is a negative, you did ask for negatives too, but please do not be put off. In Nov '22, my EF was 25% so a 3 lead PM was advised. During the process the third lead pierced my heart and emergency OHS was performed to remove the lead and repair the hole. The PM was withdrawn. There is only a 1% chance of this happening. I don't want to try again for a PM, I take lots of medication and feel really well. Wishing you well, take care.
Hi kizzie, thanks for sharing this, can't imagine the stress and trauma this caused.I'm PM dependent due to total heart block following AV node ablation.
Fingers crossed the my upgrade is a success.
Pleased you have recovered and feel well.
Take care
I'm sure your upgrade will go well. I've just been unfortunate, what happened to me is very rare. I would welcome an update on how you get on.
Hi, I’ve not had an upgrade, but I had a 3 lead CRT pacemaker inserted in May 23 and have not looked back since. I had stage 3 heart failure but since been downgraded to stage 2. Feel a million times better. The procedure was horrendous as sedation and local anaesthetic didn’t work and it was 2 hours of hell but I understand this is relatively rare. However I still feel it was worth it for the improvements to my overall health and wellbeing. Hope this helps. Best of luck.
Hi staystrong, Pleased it was a positive outcome for you.
I'm struggling every day with shortness of breath, low energy, fatigue and tiredness, can't manage to do anything physical and I'm only 53 hoping the CRT will put me back on track!
Many thanks for sharing your experience.
Take care
Hi.
I haven’t posted before but I do have recent experience of a third lead being added to my pacing set up. I have had a pacemaker fitted for congenital heartblock for the last 39 years. Each time I have had a replacement the technology has moved on again so I have benefitted from many changes. Going from a pacemaker with a set heart rate of 70 back in the 1980s to one that increased my heart rate when needed a decade later was a real revelation. I was diagnosed with heart failure 4 years ago (I had a two lead pacer at the time) and as part of the treatment, 2 years ago went from a 2 lead to 3 lead pacer to synchronise the top and bottom chambers of the heart more effectively. The one down side was once I moved after the operation, the lead shifted slightly and started pacing the phrenic nerve which controls the diaphragm. However, this was quickly sorted by the pacing technician who was able to alter the settings using his box of tricks. No further surgery necessary. The benefits have been I now have an ejection fraction within the normal range (it had been less than 30) and I have more energy and am much more active than when the initial heart failure was diagnosed. Not completely back to pre-heart failure activity levels but I have learnt to manage things over time. Mostly I don’t notice the third lead but it does its job in the background.
I hope your surgery goes well and you feel the benefits of the extra lead in time. Good luck.
Hi crochet,
Thank you for sharing your experience, great to know how you have benefited by having a CRT PM fitted.
I can relate to the set heart rate, although I had my PM fitted just over two years ago, for the last 12 months my PM heart rate is set at 70bpm purposely so I struggle doing anything physical, I am in permanent AF and having heart failure it made the symptoms worse when my heart rate when higher so the rate response was turned off.
Hoping I can manage better with a CRT PM and a potential cardioversion afterwards if the AF is still a factor.
Many thanks for sharing, good to know the experiences of others that have had similar procedures.
Best wishes
Pacemaker lead extraction 
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pacemaker and ectopics
Pacemaker triggering other organs.
