Post leadless pacemaker implant instructions

You were in the hospital to have a Leadless Pacemaker put in. A pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device that can tell when your heart is beating irregularly or too slowly. It sends a signal to your heart to make sure that your heart beat is never too slow.

Pacemaker Identification (ID)

Carry your pacemaker ID card with you at all times. You will be given a temporary card before you leave the hospital. Your permanent card will be sent from the manufacturer within 6-8 weeks.

Activity

• You may shower the day after your procedure.
• For 7 days after your procedure:
  • Do not lift more than 10 pounds. Ten pounds is as heavy as 1 gallon of milk.
  • You may walk or climb stairs in your home. Do not do any heavy exercise like aerobics, running, or weight lifting. Do not do any strenuous activities that will use or strain your belly muscles.
  • No repetitive bending or squatting.
  • Do not soak in any hot tubs, bath tubs or go swimming for 1 week after your procedure.

Medicines and Anticoagulation

• Take your heart medicines every day the way you are told to on your Discharge Medicine List. Do NOT stop taking your medicines. Call your doctor if they are not helping or if you have side effects.
• If you take Coumadin or Jantoven, you should restart warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) on ________. You should have your next blood test (INR) as previously scheduled.
  • It is very important that your INR stays in range. This will make sure that your blood is not getting too thin which can cause bleeding around your pacemaker.
  • Eat the same amount of vitamin K each day. Vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale. Changing how much vitamin K you eat can change how much warfarin you need.
• You should restart your Pradaxa (dabigatran), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eliquis (apixaban) on ________. No blood tests are necessary for these medications.

Other Instructions

• Please remind dentists and other physicians that you have a pacemaker
• You will be automatically enrolled in a pacemaker monitoring program. This program is done over the telephone or wirelessly. You will be given a monitor and instructions.
  • The pacemaker monitoring program is important for your care.
  • It does not replace regular office visits with your doctor.
• Avoid strong electromagnetic fields as they may interfere with the pacemaker (i.e., airport  security scanner and electronic security devices)
• If your device is MRI compatible, you can have a MRI, however please do not do so until after 6 weeks from your pacemaker implant date. Your pacemaker may need to be reprogrammed before and after your MRI to put it in a MRI safe mode.
• If your device is not MRI compatible, please avoid MRI scanners

Post Sedation Care

You have received sedative medication(s) which can affect your judgment and coordination. For the next 24 hours:

• Do not operate heavy machinery
• Do not drive a car
• Do not consume alcohol
• Do not make important decisions

You must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please arrange to have a friend or relative to take you home. It is strongly recommended that you have someone stay with you for the next 12 hours.

Radiation exposure care

You were in the hospital for a procedure that used x-rays. An x-ray is a test that takes pictures of the inside of your body. To do this, the x-ray machine uses radiation, which is a kind of energy. It does not happen often, but being exposed to radiation can cause side effects.

Follow these important instructions below:

• For 2 weeks after your procedure, watch for side effects from the radiation. 
• Side effects are sunburn and redness or rash over your chest, back, arms, backside, or legs