My pacemaker!!

I have a boston scientific altrua 40 dual chamber pacemaker which was fitted in 2010, my pacemaker is always working so i was wondering how long will my battery last. I keep getting conflicting answers from my clinic here in bristol england

3 Comments

Altrua 60

by carissanv - 2012-12-16 01:12:48

Got mine in November 2009. At the time told battery life was possibly 7 years. For about 2 1/2 years it showed 5+ years. A couple of visits ago it was 4.5 ys, and is lower now. The tech said that we would talk when it dropped into the "voluntary replacement" range. I pace about 70% of the time in upper chamber, 25-30% in lower (this has increased since first getting PM when the numbers were 50% and 10%, respectively). I may have another two years on my battery, but maybe more. But the tech is pretty sure it's not 4.5.

Understand that they will not be able to give you a definitive date, but can only provide you a range because as other posters have noted, each one of us uses our PMs at a different rate.

Hi Cprice

by IAN MC - 2012-12-16 12:12:30

Nobody on here can tell you how long YOUR PM battery will last . Your clinic in Bristol should be able to give you non-conflicting answers. Do you mean that you have had different estimates of the battery life at different check-ups. ? This is possible if your heart condition has changed in some way causing the PM to be pacing more or less frequently than before

The battery life depends, like any other battery, on how often it is used. If you are 100% dependant on your PM then the batteries will need replacing more quickly than if you are only using the PM say 10 % of the time.

For what it's worth mine is estimated to last between 9 and 12 yrs from now, some people on here have needed changes after a couple of years, others have lasted over 20 yrs.

Hope yours will last for years and years !

Ian

go with the flow!

by DDDmom - 2012-12-16 12:12:44

Different pacemaker models have different strength of batteries. Each heart has a different amount of scar tissue or a different amount of energy required from the battery to create a paced beat. Most batteries last 4-7years and your pacemaker clinic checks keep track of the battery strength and will increase your clinic check ups as the battery wears down(and the battery will pace your heart even when almost worn out!!)

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