Do you loss sinus rhythm with a pacmaker

I suffer from afib and from bradycardia, Ny heartbeat goes into the low 40's at night and it puts me into afib.

If I had a pacemaker installed, would I never be in sinus, or can they set it where the pacemaker only works when you get below a set heart rate?

Also, would an ablation help this problem?

Thanks Michael

Michael,

A pacemaker sets a floor to your heart rate. In other words, if it was set for 60, your heart rate would never go below 60. However it can go above and you can go into afib.

George

Plus, once they ablate the sinus node (heart's natural pacemaker), you are forever in need of the implanted pacemaker. It has been said before on this site that having a pacemaker installed for AF is not the best route.

I'll clarify. What Ralph is referring to is an AV node ablation. That is NOT recommended. If you have a bradycardia issue, you can have a pacemaker installed without an AV node ablation. The pacemaker will help or "cure" the bradycardia. It will not prevent afib.

Don't do it

Mike:

I had a pacemaker implanted in 1999, this was done because when I was going into NSR from an episode of AF my heart rate would drop to almost a flat line for a few seconds and it would cause me to almost black out. The pacemaker was put in so that my heart rate would not go into the free fall, my pacer is set at 50, so if the rate hits below 50 the pacer kicks in, I have never had a episode of almost blacking out since the pacer was implanted, which I am grateful for. The pacer does not affect me in any way, I do everything that I have always done. If you have bradycardia, do you have any problems such as I have described?

They do not ablate the sinus node, the only reason they have done it is because of a very fast heart rate in a persistent AF, my sinus node is intact and I certainly wouldn't have that done.

Liz

Mike,

Like you I suffer from both Afib and bradycardia. I had a pacemaker implanted three years ago. At about the same time I started seriously following the supplement regimens recommended on this website. Whether it was the pacemaker or the supplements or a combination of both is unclear, but the result was a very marked reduction in Afib episodes which continues to this day. I've never regretted the pacemaker implant plus your doctor periodically gets a detailed history of your heart's performance which can be downloaded from the pacemaker.

Josiah

Thanks for the answers. I spoke with Dr. John Sirak who I am considering the 5 box with and he explained that if he saw my rate was too low at night he would discuss the idea of a pacemaker. As others mentioned, they would not ablate my sinus node.

He says that virtually every procedure he does is on a failed ablation. He of course is very negative on the idea of ablations for people with persistent or permanent afib.

His surgery numbers are nowhere near Natale's; he has done 300 or so pure 5 box surgeries.
Regards,
Michael