Battery Life with 100% pacing

it doesn't-much

by AgentX86 - 2019-10-30 13:02:13

Pacemakers intended for PM dependent patients have a larger battery, just as CRT spacers have a larger battery.  My EP said that mine should last 8-10 years (AV ablation - both ventricles paced). I've had it 20 months and the last estimate was another nine years. I go to the device clinic again Friday.

Battery Life

by Selwyn - 2019-10-30 17:06:45

There are a lot of variables to consider about battery life other than % time paced:

1. Threshold of paced current to get a heart beat

2. Lead impedence.

3. Resting heart rate

4. Activity and maximal pacing heart rate/rate response. 

etc..

It is not unreasonable to expect 10 years out of a battery at 100% pacing.

If I may illustrate some of the difficulties.. My PM is 9 years old. I have a battery life of 1.25-4.5 year. Why the wide range? My lead impedence is on the rise- it is taking more and more current to get a paced beat. However, I am not 100% paced, so the number of times I need to be paced is variable, hence the variability of predicting when the battery is going to expire.

sized for the condition

by dwelch - 2019-10-31 19:46:21

If you have a complete heart block like I do for example and the pacer is expected to fire the ventricles every single heart beat, at or near 100% the battery in the device is sized for that condition, I get a larger battery and as a result larger device than folks with other conditions.  I went from a two lead to three lead, biventrical recently so now two leads are pacing 100% and it is yet again a larger device than the last one.  

They aim to get the same kind of life independent of the condition, it is not like everyone gets the same size battery and some people have replacements twice as often strictly due to battery size.  its the other way around the battery is sized to try to get everyone having replacements in that 10 year give or take range.   now as with other tech they are not perfect, some models of some brands dont work as well as designed, and you might not get as much life, its not necessarily your fault nor your condition.  no one brand is better than another, each have their better products and average and on rare occation less than average.  

The doc is or should be the one that makes this decision, your job is not to pick brands nor models your job is to indicate activities that you do or think you really will do with the device.  I want to backpack a lot should we place it differently.  Im a competitive swimmer I need a pacer that responds and/or has a higher upper limit than others (or as you may find out fixing your heart you may not need to pace as high when you are active compared to pre pacer), etc.  The doc works with the pacer vendor rep to find the right product for you.

for most of the life of your pacer ignore the estimated battery life reports, let it go it causes too much anxiety if you try to believe it and as those years go by . you find out anyway that the estimate was wrong and you worried about nothing.  as my doc says ignore it until it says there are a few weeks left.  if it doesnt say that, ignore it, its bogus.

100% paced here too

by LondonAndy - 2019-11-03 06:29:26

Due to surgical complication when they fitted a new aortic heart valve.  5 years so far.  My latest annual checkup, 3 weeks ago, said a minimum of two more years battery life, but as the annual check starts to show less time the frequency of the checks will increase.  

To be honest I am quite looking forward to the next one.  Things improve all the time with pacemakers, like they do with other electronc devices, and by the time I need my next one there may be a model that in some way is better than my current one.

100 percent pacing here

by lmpres - 2019-11-11 08:57:11

Was told at my last device check that I have 12 years left on the battery, that's after being in for 3....