Randy Peterson

rpeterson@dmreg.com

Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg knew that at some point he would be forced to have his pacemaker replaced.

Doctors told him as much after open-heart surgery ended his NBA career in 2005. He was told the same thing during each of his semi-annual checkups.

"I have it checked every six months, and (in) January, the doctor told me I had 14 months left," Hoiberg said Monday.

Wrong.

After a couple of weekend workouts, Hoiberg learned he was running on nearly empty. He'll have his pacemaker replaced during what he said will be a "routine procedure" at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

"It's not a big surgery," Hoiberg said. "It's very routine for people with pacemakers."

What's not routine is that it's his first pacemaker replacement.

"It was going to happen eventually," Hoiberg said. "I hope to be released hopefully (Tuesday) or Wednesday."

A pacemaker, according to the American Heart Association website, helps a person's heart beat regularly. The device is connected to the heart by wires. Batteries last between five and eight years.

"The wires are great," Hoiberg said. "Everything's connected like it should be. It's the batteries – they're running on reserve."

Dr. Steven Bailin, an electrophysiologist at Iowa Heart Center in Des Moines, said, "in terms of risk, it's not a risky procedure."

"As long as the wires are OK, basically it's just changing the current pacemaker system out with a new one," he said. "Typically, I would say it takes less than an hour, if it's just a matter of the battery wearing down. If that's the case, it should be pretty straight-forward."

Hoiberg, 41, had open-heart surgery on June 28, 2005, to remove an enlargement on his aortic root. Several complications led to doctors placing a pacemaker in his shoulder.

He works out regularly, even when he's on the road with his team that reached the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 last season. While working out Monday morning at home, however, he knew something wasn't right.

"I'm so hypersensitive that I can feel every heartbeat," said Hoiberg, who was recruiting in Las Vegas and St. Louis last week before returning to his home.

"My (heart rate) isn't supposed to go below 70, but I could feel it was lower. I could just feel it. I'd do a workout, and when I got done, I could tell my heart rate wasn't elevating. It wasn't going past 65."

Hoiberg said he occasionally felt light-headed during the past few days.

"I just had a weird feeling," he said. "Then (his wife) Carol told me to get it checked."

The former Ames High School and Iowa State star has led the Cyclones to three straight NCAA Tournaments. He became Iowa State's coach in 2010.

"They're not cracking me open again," Hoiberg said. "They just have to replace the device. Basically, they're just replacing my batteries."

Hoiberg informed his players Monday.

"He called us individually to his office," star Georges Niang said. "To me, it seems like it's a serious thing to be going through, but he was very calm; he's a calm guy.

"The fact that he doesn't seem worried makes us at ease."

Niang participated last week at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas. Among his visitors?

"Fred was there to watch a couple days," Niang said. "When I was with him, he looked great."