Homegoing Instructions After a Pacemaker Implant

Your heart doctor and nurses will provide you with information on how to care for yourself after your pacemaker implant.  Here is some general information about caring for yourself when you go home.

Traveling home

For your safety, we request that a responsible adult drive you home after the procedure. The medication you received during the procedure makes you drowsy. You can usually resume driving 24 hours after the procedure. Your doctor will provide you with specific instructions.

How do I care for the wound site?

• Keep the area where the pacemaker was inserted clean and dry.
• Do not scrub the area.
• You do not need to keep the wound covered with a bandage.
• Do not use creams, lotions, or ointments on the wound site.
• You may take a shower 5 days after the procedure.
• Look at your wound every day to make sure it is healing. If you notice any of the signs of infection listed below, please call your doctor:
• Increased drainage, bleeding or oozing from the insertion site
• Increased opening of the incision
• Redness around the site
• Warmth along the site
• Increased body temperature (greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.4 degrees Celsius)

Are there any activity restrictions?

These activity restrictions should be followed the first week after your procedure:

• You may move your arm normally.
• Do not lift objects that weigh more than 10 pounds.
• Do not hold your arms above shoulder level for a long time.
• Avoid activities that require pushing or pulling heavy objects, such as shoveling the snow or mowing the lawn.
• Stop any activity before you become overtired.
• For six weeks after the procedure, avoid golfing, tennis and swimming.
• Try to walk as much as possible for exercise.
• Ask your doctor when you can resume more strenuous activities

When can I go back to work?

Your doctor will tell you when you can go back to work, usually within a week after you go home. If you have the flexibility at your job, ease back to your regular works schedule.

Will any electrical devices interfere with my pacemaker?

• Electric blankets, heating pads, and microwave ovens can be used and will not interfere with the function of your pacemaker.
• A cellular phone should be used on the side opposite of where the pacemaker was implanted.
• Cellular phones should not be placed directly against the chest or on the same side as your pacemaker.
• You will need to avoid strong electric or magnetic fields, such as: some industrial equipment, ham radios, high intensity radio waves (found near large electrical generators, power plants, or radiofrequency transmission towers), and arc resistance welders.
• Do not undergo any tests that require magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Your doctor or nurse can provide more information about what types of equipment may interfere with your pacemaker.

ID card

You will receive a temporary ID card that tells you:

• the type of pacemaker and leads you have
• the date of the pacemaker implant
• the doctor's name who implanted the pacemaker.

Within three months you will receive a permanent card from the pacemaker company. CARRY THIS CARD WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES in case you need medical attention at another hospital.

When should I follow-up with my doctor?

A follow-up appointment should be scheduled within six weeks after the pacemaker implant procedure. This follow-up appointment is CRITICAL, because adjustments will be made that will prolong the life of your pacemaker.

This appointment is only for a device check with the EP nurse, but if you need to see your doctor, you must schedule a separate appointment.

How long will my pacemaker last?

Pacemakers usually last 4 - 8 years, depending on how often it is used. When the battery becomes low, your pacemaker will need to be changed.

How often do I need pacemaker checks?

If you have a single or dual chamber pacemaker: After your initial follow-up appointment, your pacemaker should be checked every three months from home, using a telephone transmitter. You will receive instructions on how to use a telephone transmitter in the Device Clinic.

Every year, around the anniversary of your pacemaker implant, you should schedule a complete device check in the Device Clinic. This appointment is different than the telephone transmitter check, since the leads are tested during this appointment.

If you have a biventricular pacemaker: your pacemaker should be checked every six months in the Device Clinic. Three months after your first appointment in the Device Clinic, you should check your pacemaker using a telephone transmitter. You will receive instructions on how to use a telephone transmitter in the Device Clinic.

Every year, around the anniversary of your pacemaker implant, an echocardiogram will be scheduled along with a complete device check in the Device Clinic.

Medications:  Ask your doctor if you can continue taking your previous medications.

These are only general guidelines. Please ask your doctor any specific questions related to your pacemaker care.

• Learn more about abnormal heart rhythms
• Learn more about pacemakers
• Learn more about biventricular pacemaker
• Find a Cleveland Clinic Heart Center doctor who performs a pacemaker procedure