Before Your Pacemaker Implant
- Do not eat any food or drink any fluids after midnight the day before your test.
- Ask your physician or cardiologists in the Lab if you should take your medications the day of the procedure.
- One of our nurses will take you to a pre-operative room. A physician or nurse practitioner will discuss the procedure with you and will review your medical history.
- If you are a woman of childbearing age, a urine pregnancy test will be performed.
- You will be asked to sign a consent form.
- After you change into a hospital gown, an intravenous line (IV) will be placed in your forearm, a blood pressure monitor will be placed on your arm, and ECG stickers will be placed on your chest to monitor your heart's rhythm.
- While you are in a comfortable upward position, the nurses will clean your upper chest with sterile soap. A sterile drape will be positioned from your chin to your toes.
- You will be given sedating medication through your IV. Local anesthesia will be injected under the skin where the pacemaker will be placed.
- During the surgery you will be drowsy. You will be given medication to prevent any discomfort.
- Once the procedure is complete, you will be taken to your hospital room or the recovery room.
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- The arm on the side of your pacemaker implantation will be immobilized in a sling overnight.
- You may eat as soon as you are awake following the procedure.
- A chest X-ray will be taken once you arrive in your room, and before you leave the hospital the following morning.
- A nurse practitioner from the Lab will come to your room and discuss your discharge and follow-up instructions.
- You will receive a temporary identification card for your new pacemaker. This card has vital information and you should carry it at all times. The pacemaker company will mail you a permanent card within a few weeks of your surgery.
- An antibiotic will be prescribed for you to take for five days following surgery.
- Refrain from heavy lifting (no more than 10 pounds), lifting above your head, stretching, or vigorous activity with your affected arm for one month after the procedure.
- Most often, a surgical adhesive is used over the wound. If this is the case, you may shower the next day.
- Before your follow-up appointment, if you develop any fever, bleeding, severe pain in the area of the incision, palpitations, or fainting spells, please call our office immediately at (212) 746-2158, (212) 746-2655, or (212) 746-2169. A physician is available at all times.
- At your one-week follow-up, a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist will evaluate your pacemaker at the Device Clinic. Please bring a list of your medications.
Can I use a microwave oven?
Yes. Well-insulated microwave ovens that are currently in use do not interfere with pacemaker's that are used today.
Can I have an MRI scan?
In general, patients with pacemakers should not have an MRI scan. If your doctor recommends an MRI, you should discuss it with your implanting physician.
Can I swim and/or play golf?
Yes, but you must wait four weeks after the implantation of your pacemaker.
Contact
Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory
Starr 4, Cardiovascular Center
520 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
Phone: (212) 746-2158, (212) 746-2655, (212) 746-2169
Fax: (212) 746-6951
