The day of my discharge, a physicians' assistant came by to remove my temporary pacemaker wires which are sutured to my heart and come out at my midsection. ...Read more
The day of my discharge, a physicians' assistant came by to remove my temporary pacemaker wires which are sutured to my heart and come out at my midsection. She said I'd need 1.5 hour laying down afterward but really did not list out risks. She tugged & 1 wire came out. The next ones she tugged on caused discomfort so she called in the cardiac surgeon who was able to pull out 2 more wires but 4th wire did not tug out. So, he said that he was just going to just cut the wire at skin surface & snap it back under my skin.
My initial reaction was: aren't there any alternatives and what are the risks of leaving this pacer wire dangling in me? The cardiac surgeon said we always used to do this (ok, so why are you rarely doing it now) and if there is infection etc then wire can be removed. I asked lots of questions about whether there were any other alternatives - can we see why the wire was stuck, can we see whether the wire would come out when my heart was less bruised etc, or whether any other surgical option made sense. It was really hard to get information from my dr and felt like I was just being told to do what I was told by the cardiac surgeon instead of being given the information to make an informed decision. I asked to wait till next day to try 1 more time and to think about it. (My Nurses & patient advocate were so awesome!!!!)
Well, I learned a lot from on-line articles (.4 risk of pacing wires) and got a 2nd opinion from my dear friend's brother & uncle who are physicians with excellent experience in open heart surgery. The next day when the wire was still stuck I let them cut it. I felt comfortable with the decision.
Here's my lessons learned:
1) The placement of temporary wires in loose sutures hoping they will pull out seems like a method that needs to be improved!
2) There should be a standard procedure in place for removing the wires but often isn't. Some facilities have nurses do it, others physician assistant but when 1 is stuck, usually the cardiac surgeon is called in. Many facilities do this a day before discharge because there can be bleeding. In talking to the nurses, there did not seem to be a policy in place at my hospital and they planned to send me home a couple of hours after removal.
3) Know if you have pacing wires remaining in your body and disclose on your future dr visits. Many cases where the wire dislodged and caused damage would happen years even decades later.
4) Informed consent is vital!!! Doctors should be prepared to discuss risks & options. Patients have a right to ask those questions without being made to feel like they are misbehaving.
Rita Savelis Sorry that you had to go through this Carol.
And I second the thought that "Patients have a right to ... Read more
Rita Savelis Sorry that you had to go through this Carol.
And I second the thought that "Patients have a right to ask questions without being made to feel like they are misbehaving!"
Geez...
There are many protocol procedures that are followed and and too often the patient is not considered.
Catie B Carol, so sorry about all this. I well understand your concern. During surgery they placed two pacin ... Read more
Catie B Carol, so sorry about all this. I well understand your concern. During surgery they placed two pacing wires in me and I wasn't given a choice afterward; the NP simply cut them at skin level and said they'll be fine. Mine have caused me some trouble, and still hurt with certain motions. The sticky ends wound up adjacent to my rib cartilage. They caused a trip to the ER in February: I learned to never use a heart-rate monitor that has a chest strap. I understand issues are rare, but when I called Cleveland Clinic, a doctor said that usually only slender people have trouble. I told him I'm 5'4" and 120 lbs. Yep...
Eric Linnenburger I'm glad you posted this, Carol. I had one snipped off the other day when getting mine pulled. Nurse ... Read more
Eric Linnenburger I'm glad you posted this, Carol. I had one snipped off the other day when getting mine pulled. Nurse practitioner acted like it was no big deal and they do it all the time. At the time I wasn't complaining. That was more uncomfortable than getting the chest tubes out for me! I, too, wonder if this will cause any trouble down the road, especially since it's just kind of floating in there. Or, is it no different than having wires holding the sternum together?
Marie Myers I was told that they usually try to pull them, but if there is too much resistance, they clip them as ... Read more
Marie Myers I was told that they usually try to pull them, but if there is too much resistance, they clip them as short as possible. A friend of mine who had a heart transplant 10 years ago had hers clipped. That was the routine at that time.
My aortic root aneurism was replaced with bovine aortic valve. It ended up being 5.7cm when they initially were thinking it was 5.2. (So glad I went ahead with ...Read more
My aortic root aneurism was replaced with bovine aortic valve. It ended up being 5.7cm when they initially were thinking it was 5.2. (So glad I went ahead with this surgery even though I was not having symptoms). The cardiac surgeon said it was a nice sized bovine valve which made me laugh to realize that these are not 1 quality controlled size.😊
I Had the usual challenges after surgery like lungs took a several days to get strong enough for me to be on room oxygen and just the day before release, I was feeling so great & took a maybe too brisk walk that set my heart rate above 185 & my heart into afib. But, I know they said that's 30-40% common in initial stages & no afib since. I do feel really cautious now about my pace & aim for less than 20 beat increase from my resting pace on my walks.
Catie B It sounds like you're doing really well. Congratulations on your progress and I hope you continue to ... Read more
Catie B It sounds like you're doing really well. Congratulations on your progress and I hope you continue to have smooth sailing in your recovery!
Jill Krajnovich Glad to hear you are doing well, Carol! Best wishes for a speedy recovery without any bumps along the ... Read more
Jill Krajnovich Glad to hear you are doing well, Carol! Best wishes for a speedy recovery without any bumps along the journey!
Carol Yetter Thanks!!!! This has been a great resource & nice to get the friendly support!
Home after angiogram and the good news that it showed no blockages. I am a little sorer and ditzier than I expected. Taking lots of walks though. Great way ...Read more
Home after angiogram and the good news that it showed no blockages. I am a little sorer and ditzier than I expected. Taking lots of walks though. Great way to reduce stress before my surgery next Wed.
Catie B A warm welcome to you, Carol! Great news on no blockages!
I had a very similar surgery to yours las ... Read more
Catie B A warm welcome to you, Carol! Great news on no blockages!
I had a very similar surgery to yours last September.
I hope all goes very, very well for you and that you'll have a strong, speedy recovery.
Debby Morgeson Hi Carol! Glad that no blockages were found! They did not find any in me either. I had an aortic ... Read more
Debby Morgeson Hi Carol! Glad that no blockages were found! They did not find any in me either. I had an aortic valve replaced on June 12th, 2017 with a bovine tissue valve. All went well and I'm glad to be on the mend! Good luck with your upcoming surgery. I'll be thinking of you! 🙂
Marie Myers I had an AVR and aneurysm resection done in late March, and I am back at work part time. Hope everyth ... Read more
Marie Myers I had an AVR and aneurysm resection done in late March, and I am back at work part time. Hope everything goes very well for you tomorrow!!
And I second the thought that "Patients have a right to ... Read more
And I second the thought that "Patients have a right to ask questions without being made to feel like they are misbehaving!"
Geez...
There are many protocol procedures that are followed and and too often the patient is not considered.