Re: Info on pacing, zaps, etc.

[Guest guest]

Hi. My name is Tami and I have had an ICD since 97'. I have also been shocked.

What company did the ICD come from? If you let me know I can maybe help you

with a website.

Tami

> Can anyone tell me where I can get info on how, and why, an AICD works?

> When we're in the EP's office, he and the rep stand around and discuss

> my husband's ICD in terminology that is foreign to us. For instance, it

> seems that the AICD works in three different ways: (1) pacing, when the

> heart is beating too slow or too fast??? (2)mild zaps when the heart

> beats too fast, but at a regular rhythm and pacing doesn't do the job

> (these are silent....unfelt); and (3)the big deals when the heart is out

> of control.

>

> Right now, my hubby is having problems as his heart is beating too fast

> in spite of the AICD and daily medications....200 mg Amiodarone and 1000

> mg Procanbid. The Amiodarone dosage had to be decreased because of side

> effects, and the Procanbid was just added last week. His device is set

> to cardiovert at 130 hr. The doctor is concerned because the AICD has

> to pace so often (sometimes as many as ten times a day). He says the

> device is working fine, but they have to get his heart to working

> better, so the AICD doesn't have to pace so much. I thought the idea of

> the pacemaker was to pace, and didn't realize there was a problem with

> it pacing so much. He usually only has 'paces',and once a month or so

> he has a 'silent zap'. He has had the 'big zaps' only about four or five

> times since the device was implanted in 1998. Hoping someone can post

> info on this list or can guide me to an informative website. PatP

[Guest guest]

> Can anyone tell me where I can get info on how, and why, an AICD

works?

>

This is a really great site for info on AICD's

http://www.advocatehealth.com/healthinfo/articles/heartcare/invasive/i

cdefib.html

I have some info on drugs (stolen from somewhere) at

http://hometown.aol.com/AMAmail/DRUGS.html

As for the pacing, unless the unit was put in specifically to pace,

the pacing feature is actually used to control an arrhythmia before

the Defibrillator part is needed. In many instances, simply pacing

the heart when the AICD sees an arrhythmia will set the heart back in

normal rhythm.

To much pacing means the heart is having arrhythmia problems, and

those usually can be controlled with drugs.

Reactions to heart meds are common too. Pretty strong stuff.

Betapace caused me to have huge hives from head to toe. But, Niacin

also causes me to get hives unless I use a slow release type.

Hope some of this hel

[Guest guest]

> Hope some of this helps.

Thanks, good info, esp. the web sites. For anyone else trying to

access

the Advocate Health website, the URL provided by AMA was so long that

it 'broke'. You'll still go to the website, but not the page provided.

Just type

icd in the search box, then go to #7 on the results for this excellent

article.

The other articles found during the search are good, too. Thanks!

Sue

--

" She was not quite what you would call refined.

She was not quite what you would call unrefined.

She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. "

-- Mark Twain

Rich and Sue Owens

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadows/7457/index3.html

[Guest guest]

Sue,

Another neat site that answers a bunch of questions

http://www.mssm.edu/cvi/aicd.shtml

Steve

[Guest guest]

can not get to mssm. edu./cvid/aicd.

[Guest guest]

> Another neat site that answers a bunch of questions

>

> http://www.mssm.edu/cvi/aicd.shtml

Thanks, Steve.

Sue

--

" She was not quite what you would call refined.

She was not quite what you would call unrefined.

She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. "

-- Mark Twain

Rich and Sue Owens

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadows/7457/index3.html

[Guest guest]

went to the site and it said does not exist.????

[Guest guest]

went to the site and it said does not exist.????