Battery change

Hi Everyone, what is the typical battery life of a pacemaker? I've had mine for about seven years! Anybody had a recent battery change? How was it? Do they put in a whole new device?

7 Comments

Depends

by Theknotguy - 2014-11-06 11:11:29

Battery life depends upon how much your current battery is used. If you're pacing at 1-2% you'll have a longer life than if you're pacing at 100%. Also if you have one, two, or three leads.

I'm pacing at 80% with two leads and they're estimating 7 to 9 years. We'll see.

They replace the entire unit. Pretty good with all the advances made. Kinda like going from a Model T Ford to a space ship when replaced. Old pacemakers are being used on dogs with heart problems. Some hospitals/doctors will let you keep your old one.

If you are pacing at 100% they'll fit you with an external pacemaker to keep your heart going while they replace your old one. The nurse I talked to said keeping the heart going was their #1 priority.

Hope things go well for you.

Inga

by Tracey_E - 2014-11-07 01:11:23

I know firetrucks here carry external pm's that use big pads. I just assumed the thing they used in the OR was the same thing.

Battery

by golden_snitch - 2014-11-07 02:11:29

Hi!

The pacing percentage is actually not the most important predictor for battery life. More important are threshold/amplitude, that's the voltage needed to effectively stimulate the heart, and also the lead impedance. I went from 100% atrial pacing to 100% atrial AND ventricular pacing, and it did not change the estimated battery at all. EP said I have quite low pacing thresholds, so the battery will probably last long, even though I have very high pacing percentages; current estimate is around 10 years, and I got this one in January.

Also, having had a pacemaker replacement while being 100% paced in both chambers, I can tell you that they do not necessarily place an external pacemaker. There are very few patients that do not have any escape rhythm, and even if it's a slow one or pauses for a few seconds, that's not really an issue during replacement. Disconnecting the old pacemaker and connecting does not take long. My heart stopped during replacement - even though they had tested my escape rhythm before surgery and it was okay -, and the surgeon said, nothing dramatic happened, he just hurried up connecting the new device. I guess, placing an external pacemaker takes much longer and is associated with some risks (after all, you need another venous access for those) greater than the risk of your heart stopping for several seconds during replacement.

Inga

replacements

by Tracey_E - 2014-11-07 08:11:02

It only takes seconds to make the switch. I think knotguy and Inga are talking about two different things. A temporary pm is run through the vein and I've heard of a few people having them during replacements, tho imo that's overkill. When I had my replacements, they put big pads on me- one on my chest and one on my back- for external pacing if needed, nothing invasive. I have no idea if they used it or not but it wasn't a big deal other than scrubbing the sticky stuff off later. My underlying rhythm has been anywhere from 20 to 60, depending on the day. I've had 4 replacements and it's never been an issue.

And yes, they replace the whole thing. They test the leads but usually if there's a lead issue they know about it in advance from the interrogation reports. Unless there is a problem, they leave the leads alone.

Average life is 7-10, some lucky folks get as much as 15. My record is only 7, I seem to go through them. As Inga said, a lot more goes into battery life than how much you pace. Replacement is easy.

Tracey...

by golden_snitch - 2014-11-07 10:11:09

... the big pads are external defibrillation pads. They do not use them to pace, they only use them to shock. I got them for every replacement and every of my eight catheter ablations. It's just a safety measure. External transcutaeneous pacing would be very uncomfortable for the patient (very strong electrical impulse needed to stimulate the heart), also associated with the risk of burning the skin etc. External pacemakers are usually, as you and I already said, placed through a vein, they stimulate inside the heart.

Inga

Battery change

by Shanny - 2014-11-08 11:11:45

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I got my pacemaker at 40 years old and I've had it for 7 years! Had much anxiety in the beginning but now it's just a part of me and am a stronger person because of it! I have a family history of Cardiomyopathy. My mother has it, my brother died at 23 years old from it, another brother died at 57, and my sister who is 1 year older than me has a pacemaker/defibrillator with a diagnosis of non compaction cardiomyopathy! She just had an infection in her leads and had to have everything pulled out and put on the other side. It's been a long haul but exercise has helped me big time! Well there's my story, I just keep on keepin' on😁!!

Battery Life of Different PMs

by Mayor - 2014-12-10 12:12:49

I'm down to the last 6 months or so on the battery of my Biotronic Cylos DR-T that was inplanted in November 2008. I am being seen now by a different electrophysiologist than the one who implanted my Biotronic. In discussing with him the options I'll have in picking my new device, he told me that he has no particular preference of one manufacturer over the other and that they will all "get the job done." One thing that he did tell me that I had never heard before is that the Biotronic batteries do not last as long as St. Jude or Medtronic. Has anyone ever heard (or experienced) that?

He also advised that if I stayed with Biotronic that it would be a simple matter to replicate the settings of my old device on the new device. Said another way, if I decide to go with St. Jude or Medtronic, it may take some trial and error to get the settings on my new device right. Does anybody have any experience with "switching brands?"

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker interferes with your electronic scale.

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