[Leisure activities and sports in younger pacemaker patients]

Based on a semistructured questionnaire the consequences of pacemaker treatment on leisure activities in 81 patients aged 20 to 60 years were investigated. At follow up after an average of 33.8 months, 36 of the 72 survivors participated in the following out-of-the-home physical activities: Badminton (3), bicycle-riding (6), firefighting (1), fishing (3), golf (2), gymnastics (3), handball (1), hunting (4), riding (1), running/jogging (4), sailing (5), shooting (2), skiing (3), soccer (5), swimming (1), theatre (1), chorus (1), and tennis (2). No significant changes in the levels of activity before and after pacemaker implantation were observed. Twenty of the patients did not feel the pacemaker had affected their levels of physical activity while ten patients experienced improvement in their physical capacities. Six patients felt that the pleasure in performing their favourite sport was restricted mainly due to fear of damaging the battery. Fifteen patients (21%) were members of sport clubs. These results imply that several leisure activities are available for pacemaker patients. In case a particular sport is of interest, this should be taken into account when the sitting of the pacemaker battery is decided.