Experience with Micro leaderless pacemaker?

Posted by insley @insley, Jul 12 7:44am

I’m scheduled for surgery to implant a Micro leaderless pacemaker on August 3. I have a history of PVCs with high burden, 2 ablations for AVNRT have helped but left me with RBBB and prolonged QT and PVCs have returned. Flecainide helps the PVCs but my EP stopped the Flecainide because it may further prolong QT possibly leading to VT. Have occasional very low pulse while exercising. My EP has recommended the Micro to prevent this low HR which she seems to be dangerous and should allow me to resume Flecainide for the PVCs. Any thoughts, experience? I’m apprehensive about the implant and whether it will improve my quality of life. (75 yo male, exercise at least 1 hour per day)

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Pacemaker & ICDs Support Group.

gloaming | @gloaming | Jul 12 10:29am

No personal and direct experience with a pacemaker, but as a heart arrhythmia patient and a resident on several health fora, I see posts by people reporting their experiences with pacemakers all the time. Without a standout exception that comes to mind, they are all generally very salutary....they feel better and do better. The one fly in the ointment is that there is some adjustment to the device implanted, some discomfort, but also the settings have to be 'tweaked' once or twice to get the dialed-in service one needs from the device.

They work, almost always substantially improving heart function. Their new hosts feel better some days/weeks later when the device is properly adjusted and working as intended.

kb49 | @kb49 | Jul 14 3:49pm

It takes a little longer to get over the surgery and for pacemaker to get settled in then I thought so don’t rush it and don’t feel bad that it takes a little more time and you’ll do fine. Also don’t settle if you don’t think things are right keep talking to your caregivers until you get what you need.

insley | @insley | Jul 15 7:10am

In reply to @kb49 "It takes a little longer to get over the surgery and for pacemaker to get settled..." + (show)

@kb49 Thanks for the encouragement. Very helpful right now.

jimgrupe | @jimgrupe | Jul 15 11:22am

I had Medtronic Micra AV2 implanted 6/16/2026, catheter-directed via the groin. This was two days after the emergency implant of a temporary pacemaker catheter directed via a vein in my neck after my HR dropped to 30 one morning.

In fact, the temporary seemed not to be making perfect contact, so they first implanted another temporary via the groin vein before removing the first temporary, then implanting the AV2, then removing the second temporary. (That vein was busier than the Holland tunnel for a while.)

After a day of observation in the hospital, I was released on the second day.

I have had no issues with the implant. No incisions, No chest pain, bump, air pockets, etc. No restricted movement.

HOWEVER, I did have an issue with blood clot following surgery. Once that was taken care of HR was fine. BP was fine. HR and BP go up appropriately when I exert myself - the AV2 has a built in sensor that responds to need.

I would only advise to be wary of blood clots. *IF* your BP is low and does *not* go up when you exert yourself, something is wrong, and about the only real possibility is that you have a blood clot, commonly caused by surgery.

I *did* have an issue with blood clots after surgery that sent me back to the ER three weeks later for another catheter-directed surgery through that same vein - this time to remove the blood clots. As noted, in my case, there was a lot of traffic in that vein, plus I have had a blood clot before and may be more prone to having blood clots.

Please sign in or register to post a reply.