BATTERY VOLTAGE

I have a Medtronic EnRhythm PM and I am worried about what is considered a low battery voltage.
Where does the voltage usually begin when implanted and where is the voltage (approx) when the PM goes into ERM and then EOL? Thanks!

3 Comments

varies

by Tracey_E - 2013-08-16 01:08:01

It depends. They start it a little high until the leads settle in and the heart gets used to pacing,then usually at our first follow up, they turn it down to the lowest voltage that will get the signal through. It's different for everyone, sorry I don't know exact numbers. I suspect it varies with type of pm, type of lead, age of lead, etc.

I'm pretty sure impedence is the number that changes when they get closer to ERI, not voltage, but I could be wrong.

asfasf

by boxxed - 2013-08-16 06:08:15

I think it's 2.81V with EnRhythms after the software update that recalculates ERI criteria, but I really am not sure off the top of my head. Most MDT are 2.62V.

To answer Tracey, both numbers change. The device winds down in voltage to the pre-determined ERI value, and battery impedance goes up in value. I don't think battery impedance is typically a criteria to trip ERI. I know with most current Medtronic's that use an ERI criteria of 2.62V, you need three consecutive day of a voltage reading of 2.62V to actually trip ERI. As far as I know battery impedance doesn't factor into those models. I'm making an assumption that that would apply to other devices in most scenarios.

If I recall correctly, EnRhythm is a model that gives out an estimation in terms of years and months. There are surprisingly a handful of devices that don't offer an estimation of longevity. You can always ask the PM Tech where you stand on battery for yours.

Hope this helps.

impedance

by Tracey_E - 2013-08-17 09:08:37

boxxed, the way I understand it, the battery goes along at a steady rate then plummets. It's not gradual like using up a tank of gas and it's hard to predict the plummet. When the impedance starts to go up, that's the sign the juice is about to drop enough to trigger ERI.

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