Can you have bradycardia with a pacemaker?

Can you have bradycardia with a pacemaker?

When something goes wrong with the sinoatrial node, you may develop a consistently slow heartbeat (sinus bradycardia) or the normal pacemaker activity may stop entirely (sinus arrest). If sinus arrest occurs, usually another area of the heart takes over pacemaker activity.

What causes pacer spikes on ECG?

This typically results in the appearance of too many pacing spikes, as seen on ECG (Fig. 3). The main causes of undersensing are pacemaker programming problems (improper sensing threshold), insufficient myocardial voltage signal, lead or pacer failure (fibrosis, fracture, etc.), or an electrolyte abnormality.

What is a pacemaker spike?

It shows pacemaker spikes: vertical signals that represent the electrical activity of the pacemaker. Usually these spikes are more visible in unipolar than in bipolar pacing. In the first example, the atria are being paced, but not the ventricles, resulting in an atrial paced rhythm.

When you see pacemaker spikes occurring too soon after an intrinsic beat?

If your intrinsic cardiac rhythm is appropriate, your pacemaker should just sit back and relax. If you start seeing paced spikes during normal cardiac activity, this means the pacemaker isn’t sensing myocardial depolarization and thus is failing to sense (or under-sensing) the native rhythm! Figure 4.

When does someone with bradycardia need a pacemaker?

Your doctor may recommend a temporary pacemaker when you have a slow heartbeat (bradycardia) after a heart attack, surgery or medication overdose but your heartbeat is otherwise expected to recover. A pacemaker may be implanted permanently to correct a chronic slow or irregular heartbeat or to help treat heart failure.

When a ventricular pacemaker is in capture the pacer spike should be seen?

Atrial and ventricular pacing spikes are visible before each QRS complex. There is 100% atrial capture — small P waves are seen following each atrial pacing spike.

Why do I need a biventricular pacemaker?

Biventricular pacing is a promising new procedure that improves the left ventricle’s ability to fully pump blood from the heart. As a result, patients are able to exert themselves more easily, live longer and have a higher quality of life. Biventricular pacing works like a pacemaker.

Can pacemaker spikes be positive or negative?

Unipolar pacing spikes are seen with dominant R wave in V1, positive QRS complexes in the inferior leads (II, III, and aVF), and negative QRS complexes in leads I and aVL.

What are the symptoms of a failing pacemaker?

Signs and symptoms of pacemaker failure or malfunction include:

• Dizziness, lightheadedness.
• Fainting or loss of consciousness.
• Palpitations.
• Hard time breathing.
• Slow or fast heart rate, or a combination of both.
• Constant twitching of muscles in the chest or abdomen.
• Frequent hiccups.