Precautions after installing a pacemaker

For patients who need to install a pacemaker to treat heart disease, there are many things to pay attention to after installation in order to ensure that the pacemaker can work normally. After all, the pacemaker is an electronic device. If it is not used properly and a malfunction occurs, it will directly endanger the patient's life. In order for patients to use pacemakers correctly, this article analyzes the precautions after installing a pacemaker.

1. When doing dynamic electrocardiogram or ECG monitoring, please do not stick the electrodes to the pacemaker pocket and do not scratch the affected area to avoid local skin ulceration and infection. If the wound or sac becomes hot, painful, red, swollen, or fluid oozes out, seek medical attention immediately.

2. Do not perform large movements of the upper limb on the pacemaker implant side during the first 2-3 months after the pacemaker is installed to prevent the catheter electrode from being firmly embedded and dislocated.

3. The pacemaker should not collide with hard objects, otherwise it may be damaged and lose its normal function.

4. Patients should come to the hospital for regular checkups after the operation. Generally, program control debugging should be performed 3 months after installation to understand the working condition of the pacemaker and keep it in the best working condition. After that, you can have a review every six months to one year.

5. Physical activity should be moderate. After the patient has a pacemaker installed, the heart's pumping function is improved and the patient can properly engage in daily work and housework activities. Physical exercise should be done according to one's ability. You can choose activities of normal intensity such as walking, jogging, and practicing qigong.

6. Adhere to necessary medication. Patients who have pacemakers installed often suffer from coronary heart disease, hypertension and other diseases. The treatment of the primary disease cannot be ignored after the pacemaker is installed. In fact, patients with pacemakers may also suffer from angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, etc. Therefore, you should not be careless and still need to take the medicine to treat the primary disease as prescribed by the doctor.

7. Avoid external factors interfering with the pacemaker function. A pacemaker is a sophisticated electronic device whose working performance can be interfered with by strong magnetic fields and electric currents. Therefore, such patients are prohibited from entering strong magnetic fields, TV and radio stations, radar areas, substations, and places with arc welding to avoid interfering with the work of the pacemaker. Patients are also prohibited from undergoing magnetic resonance imaging, electrothermal therapy, magnetic therapy, or other examinations and treatments that may affect the function of the pacemaker. Surgical electrosurgical units, cardiac defibrillators, lithotripters, transcutaneous electrical stimulation, etc. may affect the operation of the pacemaker. Before treatment, you should inform your doctor about the installation of the pacemaker.

8. You should carry and keep your pacemaker implant card with you so that in an emergency, medical staff can quickly understand your information and make correct judgments and treatments. This proof must be presented when going through airport security.

9. Pacemaker batteries have a certain lifespan. The number of follow-up visits should be increased starting from one year before the warranty period in order to detect battery exhaustion in time and replace the pacemaker in time. Otherwise, some patients may suffer accidents due to loss of pacemaker function.

In fact, there are more precautions after installing a pacemaker than the above 9 items. There are also many other things that patients need to pay attention to. For example, patients should pay attention to maintaining good living habits and try to keep their emotions from having too many ups and downs. Although these do not affect the work of the pacemaker, they have a great impact on the patient's physical health. Therefore, patients are also requested to pay attention.