Sudden Battery End of Life

• by amhehl
• 2014-04-15 04:04:16
• Batteries & Leads
• 1513 views
• 0 comments

Almost two years ago my husband's ICD/Pacemaker was reporting that the units battery was depleting and would need to be replaced within the year. A month or so after receiving this ICD report he was involved in an automobile accident which required him to be transported to the hospital. The bottom line was he had some back problems, neck problems, and whiplash to which he would need further treatment.

Five days after the accident, he transmitted his devise on his normal schedule. Within a couple of hours, he received calls from the pacemaker clinic and his heart doctor's office saying that the devise's battery was in end of life and he needed to schedule to have the unit replace right away. He had the unit replaced 9 days after the accident.

The unit popped out of the pocket within weeks of being put in and caused the area to become inflamed and very uncomfortable because it slides around on the chest with movement of the arm. The physical therapist my husband was receiving treatment from believed that because the muscles were so tight and damaged from the accident it caused the ICD not to seat correctly. My husband notified the doctor's office but they wanted to wait until the three month checkup to determine if it was a problem. At the checkup the doctor decided the the area was inflamed and the unit needed to be placed back in the pocket. We asked to delay the replacement for 4 weeks since I already had vacation scheduled and I wanted to be home after the surgery to care for my husband.

On the day of the replacement, we showed up at the hospital 3 hours prior to the procedure so the hospital could do all the check-in and prep procedures. Just minutes prior to taking my husband down to the operating room, the heart doctor came in to check with us. He looked at the area of the implant and said he thought it looked better and felt it might be better to wait to see if it got better. The procedure was canceled, however there was still a cost of the hospital and prep work.

The area of the implant is no longer inflamed, however the unit still slides around on the chest with movement of the arm. My husband now is experiencing limited use and pain in his arm which a physical therapist believes stems from the movement of the ICD.

Here's our problem. We need to determine if any of this stems from the accident.

We have a report that shows the ICD's battery went to end of life on the day of the accident. The heart doctor says it was not accident related and that sometimes the battery just goes quickly. From all the information I have been able to find, it says time and time again that the batteries do not go quickly. The reports say over and over that there is always plenty of time to schedule replacements.

We need any help that anyone can give us. We believe it is more than strange that the date the ICD's battery went into reserve is the same as the accident. The report we received a month prior to the accident from the pacemaker clinic said that the replacement needed to be done within the next year.

It has been an awful two years for my husband's physical well being. We have an attorney involved but without the proof that the accident caused to ICD's battery sudden end of life and immediate replacement, the replacement of the unit and the resulting physical problems can not be associated.

Thanking you in advance.