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Patients & Visitors

Cardiac Centre Clinics

Pacemaker - follow up

Pacemaker patients require routine technical review to ensure the device is performing optimally. Reviews can be performed in-person, or here appropriate via remote monitoring.

Post-implant and box change, all patients have a 6-week review in-person and depending on the clinical condition and type of device, routine reviews can vary.

In some cases, remote-only reviews can remove the need to attend hospital for regular pacemaker reviews. Otherwise regular in-person reviews will be organised as clinically required by the Cardiac Physiology team.

More frequent checks are occasionally appropriate. For guidance, please discuss with Cardiac Physiologist or refer to the leaflet: Following Pacemaker Implantation

For a routine in-person pacemaker review, a patient attends the Cardiac Centre at RUH. A Cardiac physiologist will perform a device interrogation, this involves connecting to the pacemaker using a specialist computer system called a ‘programmer’. Some routine measurements are performed and all the data is recorded. The physiologist may then make some adjustments to the pacemaker settings to optimise the devices function.

When reviewing a pacemaker via remote monitoring, the remote download is transmitted to the RUH on a scheduled date in which the Cardiac Physiologists will review the download and document the findings. If the Physiologist feels that an in-person review is required on the back of a remote review, an appointment can be scheduled.

If the Physiologist deems is a satisfactory check. A follow-up appointment will be scheduled. If however, the Physiologist feels the pacemaker function requires extra review a referral to a Cardiologist or a letter to the GP can be sent.

Symptomatic patients should contact the department to request an expedited review of the pacemaker, this however does not replace emergency care when required.

Location

Cardiac Centre, 3rd Floor, Zone B


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