C. S. Mott Children's Hospital

University of Michigan Health System

Pacemakers/ICD

Pacemakers

A pacemaker is a tiny computer, about the size of a silver dollar, that helps kids' hearts know when to beat. Kids get pacemakers because their hearts don't beat fast enough when they need them to, so they are tired a lot.

If you need a pacemaker, the doctors will put it either under one of your collarbones or under the skin of your right or left tummy. First, you get some medicine that makes you fall into a deep sleep. Then the doctors make a small cut to make a pocket to put the pacemaker in and from there they move the pacing wires up into your heart. This is done in the cath lab or in the operating room.

The wires give off tiny bits of electricity that tell your heart when to beat. The pacemaker will make your heart beat faster if you are running around and slower if you are resting. You will have more energy than you used to because the pacemaker will tell your heart when it should beat to keep up with you.

Once you get your pacemaker, you will come to the clinic every six to 12 months for a check-up. You will also be asked to send in transtelephonic EKGs every one or two months depending on how old the pacemaker is. To send in a transtelephonic EKG, you place a little monitor on your chest, turn it on and wait for it to start making a regular beeping sound. This sound comes from your heart beating. Then you put the phone over the monitor and your EKG will print out on a printer in the EKG lab. Next you put a special magnet over your pacemaker and transmit again.

Pacemakers last about 10 years. When the doctors find out that your pacemaker is low on energy, you will have to come back to the hospital to have it replaced. The doctors usually reopen the same cut and simply take the old pacemaker out and put the new one in its place.

ICDs - The Psychology
(What you really want to know about ICDs)

chc theresa

Hi, this is me, Teresa, again. I am on my third ICD and I have way too much experience with them, so this part is actually very hard for me to write. This Web page is supposed to contain the truth and nothing but the truth. The problem is that sometimes the truth hurts. Therefore I am going to address each issue from a good and bad point of view. Things might get a little philosophical at times, so hold on to your implantable cardioverter defibrillators and hope you don't need to use them.

What does getting shocked feel like?

Some people will never feel a shock even though they'll get them because they'll always be passed out before they're shocked. Other kids don't pass out. Getting shocked is painful, but some shocks aren't as bad as others depending on how much energy is delivered. You just have to remember that those shocks are saving your life and that putting up with the pain for a little while is worth the opportunity to continue living.

What will I feel like when I wake up from fainting?

Confused. You will most likely be very confused. You are on your back and you don't know what's going on but you know that something is wrong. Hopefully, someone will be nice enough to tell you what's going on.

What happens after I get shocked?

This is another "it depends" question. Some people get shocked and continue doing whatever it was they were doing because the shock from the ICD is all the treatment they need. Most kids go to the hospital after getting shocked to make sure everything is all right. Other kids have to go to the hospital for more treatment because the ICD can't stop their arrhythmias from reoccurring.

It's so big. Isn't it going to hurt to have it inside me?

No, at least not after a while. Right after surgery, it will hurt some, but the doctors and nurses will give you pain medicine whenever you need it. Your body will get used to the ICD quickly. If you think about it, your normal organs are very large compared to an ICD. You don't go around thinking, "ouch, my heart is so big." Your body will eventually accept the ICD as just another organ and you won't even notice you have it.

It's so big. Isn't everyone going to notice it?

They might notice it if you are in your bathing suit, but otherwise it would be very hard to find it. If kids insist on knowing what it is you could always tell them the truth, or you could have a little fun with it. Tell them the scar is from a vicious shark attack or that you were abducted by aliens and they put a tracking device in you. You could get very popular very quickly. For the fashion conscious among you, especially the girls, I recommend bathing suits with geometric patterns. Trust me, no one will ever know you've got an ICD inside you.

It will make me different and other kids will think I'm a freak.

If kids stay away from you because you are different, then you don't need them. It sounds old fashioned, but it's true. You shouldn't have to hide the fact that you have an ICD or feel as if you need to. The ICD is now part of you and you shouldn't have to be ashamed of who you are. You may well find out who your real friends are, and you'll also make new friends because of the ICD. There is an ICD conference held for young people every year in Michigan where you can meet other kids your age who also have ICDs. You will most likely become good friends with these people and you will always have a group of people who will accept you as you are, no matter what.

Why me?

This question can go two ways. ICDs are so rare, especially in kids. Why do I have to have one when almost no one else does? Then again, the reason they're so rare is because they treat very common lethal ventricular arrhythmias that usually kill the first time. Why me? Why was I chosen to be able to receive an ICD and continue living?

Helpful hints

 

I hope by now you realize that although no one wants to get an ICD, it does give you peace of mind. I wouldn't give up my ICD for anything. He wouldn't give me up either since his only purpose in life is to protect me. But that's how friends are. Ffloyd Ralph III and I tend to stick together. :)