Defibrillator and Enemas

A bad topic for me but wonder if any others have been thru heart surgery. Enemas were part of everyday life before. Now I have been informed that upsetting the electrolyte in the body could cause problems with my defibrillator, I know some add salt to their enemas and of course, salt is supposed to be restricted, Any help would be appreciated. I don't like taking laxatives, it can surprise you, Thanks

Your kidneys are responsible for managing electrolyte levels in your body, and as long as the Kidney function is good, it is quite difficult to materially alter serum electrolytes. Having said that, the condition of the kidneys is obviously very important. The main measure of Kidney function is serum creatinine, and that is a measure of how well the kidneys remove waste products and everything else from your body. As long as that remains below about 1.4mg mg/dl your kidney function is near enough to normal not to be concerned. The related measurement is eGFR or estimated glomular filtration rate, which is another measure of Kidney function and generally is based upon creatinine levels. The threshold for concern is generally 60ml/min, anything below that is of concern. In addition certain drugs can significantly alter how the Kidney's manage electrolytes. The major offenders are the loop diuretics (Furosemide, Toresemide and Bumetamide). The drugs can cause the loss of both water and electrolytes with surprising speed. The more commonly used diuretics such as the Thiazides tend to be much less troublesome. Lastly certain drugs, in particular digitalis, which is used to improve heart function is very sensitive to serum potassium level. Even slightly low serum potassium levels can lead to fatal heart arrhythmias when digitalis is used.

So while I cannot offer specific advice to you, this information provides some guidance about the drugs and laboratory measurement values that would be cause for concern. If your Kidney function is normal, you aren't taking a loop diruretic, and you aren't taking digitalis or any of its close relatives, there isn't a lot to worry about.

Your defibrillator is not at all sensitive to serum electrolyte, you heart is, and the defibrillator detects heart rhythm anomalies that may or may not be caused by serum electrolyte abnormalities. In general, absent the use of digitalis, the anomalies in serum electrolytes need to be substantial to cause heart rhythm disturbances in most patients.

Absent the above mentioned issues, you don't have much to be concerned about.

Thanks for the response.

I have never had a problem in my 13 years with a ICD.

I had a heart attack 26 Feb.2017. The symptoms were indigestion not the arm pain. They took blood tests every six hours looking for an enzyme which did not show up the first then a trace on the second and there it was on the third. They put in two Stents and a pacemaker with a defibrillator.

Our house was on a hill and became dangerous because of the fall factor. The first of June they put in two more Stents We moved to Arizona on 15 July 2017 and deposited the check for our home of 55 years the first of August. In October I could not pee and the urologist wanted to do surgery. My cardiologist said not until the Stents are a year old so for eight months I had a catheter and leg bag. On 5 July the surgery was performed. They cleaned up the bladder and strapped the prostate on opposing sides. All this was done through the urethra and a pretty female assistant made sure my foreskin was properly cared for a placed. My enema use has been seldom and urine tests frequent have shown no problems. The best part was there was no cancer. Hope to get the enemas going again more frequently, Happy New year.

Bruce

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As a medical professional i advise you to stay away from the enemas due to the defibbrilator for safety. of course it is your choice but i dont advise it