The Unexpected--Grace Gets a New Pacemaker

In July of 2002, Bill and I took Grace to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for a routine pacemaker check. While there, Grace experienced both a normal heart rate and a slow heart rate. Through some fantastic investigative work, Dr. Margaret Strieper (http://www.choa.org/strieper) determined that one of Grace’s leads had become dislodged. The pacemaker was working only when Grace was in certain positions. Grace needed a new pacemaker. This surgery was much easier. She received a new Medtronic pacemaker beneath her collarbone, and the leads were placed transvenously into her heart. Grace’s spirits were great throughout her time there. Recovery was easy, and we were home within a few days.

The most positive outcome of this incident was the knowledge that Grace can live without her pacemaker. While we had been told that Grace was not pacemaker dependent, we could not be certain; however, Grace spent a night in the hospital and a good portion of the day before her surgery being monitored. The night was a bit stressful, as our heart rate slows down while we sleep. Grace’s heart rate dipped into the high 40’s, but she made it. Typically her underlying rate remained what we had been told—in the low 50’s.