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Nottingham NG7 1BR
www.nuh.nhs.uk
Pacemaker implant
information
Cardiology
This document can be provided in different languages and
formats. For more information please contact:
Linby Cardiology Investigations
City Campus Hucknall Road,
Nottingham NG5 1PB
Tel: 0115 962 7963
Mark Lyons, Cardiology Department © August 2014. All rights reserved. Nottingham
University Hospitals NHS Trust. Review August 2016. Ref: 1130/v2/0814/AS.
Introduction
You have been referred by your cardiologist to have a
permanent pacemaker implanted to regulate the rhythm of your
heart. We hope the following information will be helpful.
Notes
Pacemaker implantation
On some occasions it may be recommended that you have your
pacemaker implanted as a daycase patient. This is at the
discretion of your consultant and is only suitable for some
patients. If you are to have your pacemaker as a daycase
patient you will be allowed to go home the same day.
Patients unsuitable for daycase implant will generally stay in
hospital overnight.
Immediately post implant
You need to restrict movement in the arm on the same side as
your pacemaker for six weeks after the pacemaker is implanted.
This means not lifting your arm above shoulder level, no heavy
lifting and avoiding using that arm to push yourself out of a chair.
This gives the tissue in the heart time to grow around the
pacemaker lead and secure it to the heart wall. Your arm may
be put into a sling for the first 24 hours after your pacemaker.
However, it is important that you do use your arm or you will risk
getting a frozen shoulder.
For the first few days you will have a small dressing over your
implant site. If the area around it is sore, please ask the nursing
or medical staff for medication for the discomfort if needed. This
is particularly important on the night following the procedure.
The cardiac physiologists will check your pacemaker within
seven days of the implant. You will be given an identity card
which is a European Registration Card containing all the
information about your pacemaker and GP / hospital details. It is
therefore very important that you always carry this card with you
at all times.
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Useful websites
British Heart Foundation
www.bhf.org.uk
Arrhythmia Alliance
www.heartrhythmcharity.org.uk
Cardiac Support Group Nottingham
www.heartsupport.co.uk
After you go home
Stitches - there are two types of stitches that can be used. One
has beads on either end and will need removing at your GP
surgery a week after the implant. The other type are dissolvable
stitches and therefore do not need removing. The nurses on the
ward will tell you which type you have before you go home.
Wound - very rarely the pacemaker site can become infected.
This can happen during the initial healing process or many years
later. This is usually easy to deal with when caught early. If your
wound becomes red, inflamed or warm please contact the
hospital (not your GP) immediately on the numbers below. We
will arrange a time with you for your wound to be reviewed by a
Doctor or one of the pacemaker team at NUH.
Monday - Friday (9am—5pm)
Pacemaker Clinic
0115 962 7963
All other times
Morris Ward
0115 969 1169 ext 53136
You should NEVER receive advice from Morris Ward or
Pacemaker Clinic to attend A&E or your GP for a pacemaker
wound query.
Driving
If you hold a driving licence it is a legal requirement to inform the
DVLA that you now have a pacemaker fitted. You are not
allowed to drive your car for a week after the pacemaker is
implanted.
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Returning for checks
How long will my pacemaker last?
Once you have had your permanent pacemaker fitted you will be
registered as a patient with the Nottingham University Hospitals
Pacemaker service
Most pacemakers last between 5-10 years depending on the
type and the amount it is used. By attending for regular checkups we monitor the battery and check how much it is used.
You will return for a further check about five to six weeks after
implant and thereafter every three to twelve months (depending
on your type of pacemaker). These checks are carried out in our
pacing clinic located in Linby Cardiology Investigations Ward
which is on the second floor by South Entrance. The check will
take 10-20 minutes.
We can programme the settings to their optimum thus
increasing the battery life. Replacing your pacemaker battery is
a relatively quick and simple procedure, again done under local
anaesthetic. The lead/leads do not usually need to be replaced
at this time. The new pacemaker is simply attached to the
existing lead.
The check makes sure the battery on the pacemaker is okay,
that the leads are working properly and that the pacemaker is
programmed appropriately for you. This is done through a
‘programmer head’ which is simply placed over the pacemaker
site and can ‘communicate’ with your pacemaker. No surgical
procedure is involved. All these checks should be seen as safety
measures and should reassure you that all is well.
If you still have any questions?
Common worries
Live a normal life - Keep your appointments for technical /
medical check-ups
The modern pacemaker is well protected against external
electrical influences. Domestic appliances (including properly
functioning microwave ovens) are fine to use. Anti-shoplifting
systems in shops and libraries, or equipment used in most
airports present no problems. However, do inform airport
authorities at check-in gates that you have a pacemaker as they
may trigger some security devices. You may be asked to show
your pacemaker ID card.
Please do not hesitate to ring the pacing department on 0115
962 7963 if you want to discuss any worries no matter how trivial
you think they are. If a member of the pacing team is
unavailable, your details will be taken and we will call you back
as soon as possible.
To sum up
Contact us if you experience any symptoms similar to those that
you had before your pacemaker was fitted.
Do inform physiotherapists if you are having treatment as some
of their equipment may affect your pacemaker.
Do not go near any MRI Scanners (unless you have been given
specific information that it is safe to do so). They always carry a
large warning sign for people with pacemakers.
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