Power cuts

Get a 4G network dongle for your remote monitor

by crustyg - 2024-11-05 07:47:26

We've had a lot of mains supply issues over the years and more trouble just recently, and you're not wrong about the grid: my next door neighbour has a PHEV and high-current home charger for it, and is well aware that if even 50% of the 100 or so houses on our local substation transformer did as he's done, we'd need the entire under-road cable supply to be replaced and the transformer would have to double in size.  I have no idea if the 11kV supply to the transformer could cope - probably not.  But you can't tell the eco-zealots....

However, when we do get mains interruptions the local cellphone mast keeps working, as both of our 'phones are OK.  The nice NHS have provided me with (previously) a 3G dongle and recently a 4G dongle upgrade, so if I invest in a UPS/generator and include my underbed monitor, my PM will still be checking me nightly and sending reports as required.

But that assumes you have decent cell coverage, which isn't a given.....

interrogations

by Tracey_E - 2024-11-05 08:17:55

Remote monitoring is only for keeping an eye on things, it doesn't affect pacing. I guess I have a different perspective, this is my 5th device and the first 4 didn't have remote monitoring, so to me being cut off is no big deal. Is sending a download ever an emergency? The last couple of years I've been traveling almost as much as I'm home so regularly miss my downloads. I only started paying attention the last few months now that I'm closer to replacement. From my pov, remote monitoring is a nice extra, not a necessity. 

Is a generator a possibility? We live in a hurricane area so have a portable generator, but a whole house generator with an automatic switch is top of my wishlist. 

Power issue

by PortCityPacer - 2024-11-05 10:10:33

The simplest solution would be to get a dedicated UPS for your remote monitor device. The monitors consume very little power so even a small UPS would easily provide many hours of backup during a power outage and they are inexpensive.

Thanks all

by piglet22 - 2024-11-05 14:40:33

I think the UPS approach is sensible, so when I get the next device, I hope that’s an upgrade from the existing model (Medtronic Ensura), it will have some more convenient features instead of the chest reader. When I see the power requirements of any monitor, I can make a choice. PortCity. I have four UPSs for computer stuff and emergency lighting. I mainly use APC as they have USB and provide a record of what happened and when. Useful for when the power utility denies having power cuts.

A run time of about an hour would be fine.

2000 properties were affected yesterday and today and I can imagine that being plunged into darkness at 7 PM didn't go down too well.

Crustyg. The roads here in Lewes are constantly being dug up for repairs. Gas, Water and Electricity mainly. I reported four gas leaks I could smell outside. And they want to use hydrogen in the mix. The most leaky gas going. Whenever the road is up, you can see what a poor state the services are in. Some of the sewers are very deep, 10 feet in places. One water leak in a busy road has been repaired four times now in the same place, so four diversions and four reinstatements. Using contractors doesn't help.

Tracey. The bedside monitor is now a necessity as face to face clinics stopped nearly three years ago. A year ago, they went as far as stopping the phone call back from the clinic as well. That was a step too far and at least they call me back now. I would agree that normally it’s not normally an emergency, but on several occasions, I thought it wise to send data. One was when the battery failed and then when I started getting blackouts. Plus, the neighbourhood isn't wonderful if you needed help. I have one neighbour who would walk over you if you were in cardiac arrest on the pavement. Despite that, more than once I have rescued him when he locks himself out or gets burgled. Never had a thank you.

Sadly a monitor doesn't always see the problem

by Gemita - 2024-11-06 09:01:52

Piglet, a little late.  We rarely get power cuts here, but we have other problems like missed rubbish collections!   If we do get a brief power cut, my internet stays connected with BT Hybrid Connect although it is slower than my usual full fibre Broadband but still adequate.

My general feeling is that no monitor can ever give reassurance that all is well.  I have fully tested our device monitoring equipment now for both my husband and myself.  We are being monitored by different London hospitals and our device clinic personnel all say the same thing;  that if we have chest pain or a brief loss of consciousness again, or generally have concerns about any other symptoms, we should go to A&E and not to depend on our heart monitors for answers.

I have telephoned our device clinic several times now for brief losses of consciousness (for Michael) and chest pain (for myself).  In both cases nothing showed up on our pacemaker downloaded data at that precise time to indicate a serious electrical disturbance or loss of device function as a cause.  I was told in no uncertain terms that should either of us experience these symptoms again, then we should go to our nearest A&E, never to rely on a data transmission for a diagnosis or to raise an alarm.  Not at all reassuring.

My feeling about monitoring is that it is a convenience, not a necessity for “every” patient with a pacemaker.  In the UK not everyone is given a monitor.  We were told initially monitors were only offered to Defibrillator patients, although this is clearly a changing picture.  

A monitor can never replace a health professional in diagnosing an acute health problem.  However, those of us with pacemakers for heart block or sinus node dysfunction, conditions that may not change over long periods of time, do not always need routine annual F2F follow ups because in essence the pacemaker should effectively treat both these conditions which may only need follow up if the patient starts having symptoms.  Of course during battery replacement indicator periods, we will need to be seen more frequently.  Have you got a date for your replacement?

Monitor

by piglet22 - 2024-11-09 05:43:51

Hi Gemita 

As you know, I am in the more difficult position of being single handed.

When I was having the blackouts and indeed the 2016 battery failure, it could have been an ideal opportunity for a suitably equipped monitor to dial out.

The battery failure and mode change would have been easier to detect as an event and the PVC burden during blackouts could also have been picked up.

Of course it didn't happen. I did send data during the PVC episodes, but nothing happened there either..

There's no doubt in my mind that home monitors were introduced as a deliberate means to enable closing the routine clinics. You can't communicate over the phone as well as you can sitting in front of someone. As I've said many times before, to hand out monitors then say a year later that they wouldn't call you back, leaves you totally isolated. Fortunately, I got that one reversed.

Looking at the Medtronic Azure information, it's all to do with ease of communication, programming by tablet etc.

I already have devices here at home that allow me to turn the heating on if I'm out walking and the device lets me know what the room temperature is. That relies on WiFi, but the Bluetooth to WiFi connection is relatively straightforward.

There ought to be endless possibilities for pacemaker patients to have better information and support through better means of communication, assuming you can keep the power on.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to scroll through all your device data on a phone or tablet?

I have a feeling I'm going to be disappointed 

As far as replacement goes, I have a month, January 2025, but no day. Scheduling was due to take place a week ago last Friday.

I'll be interested to see if I get any pre-op information. Again, not holding my breath.

crustyg

by piglet22 - 2024-11-09 07:10:19

Crusty

I should have added that the Medtronic MyCareLink is equipped with a Vodafone 4G USB built in dongle.

I live close to the county council HQand Police and Fire and Rescue HQ. Both are festooned with cellular antenna. I also live up a hill with few obstructions and almost line of sight.

Even so, the MCL struggles to to achieve 25 or 50% reception quality, and of course, you need power. I suspect part of that is down to the use of metalised foil backed plasterboard and foil backed rigid insulation boards. I have a 2.4-GHz Zigbee network for home monitoring, but that struggles as well. On reflection, maybe 900 or 868-MHz would have been better bet at the small penalty of lower data rates.

The MCL introduction was a pretty poor event. At the last, as it turned out, F2F, there was a "by the way, you'll be getting a home monitor".

That was it. UPS delivered it and I set it up. Not once has anyone from the hospital asked how you get on with it?, was it easy to operate?

I might have coped with it, but I doubt that my elderly aunt would have.

Fibre connection, WiFi and Bluetooth could revolutionise at home healthcare and much else as well.

As an aside, I had been working one day on a central heating problem and calculated that the draining down process was taking so long, there was time for a bike ride.

I came off the bike and ended up in A&E for a couple of days. If I could have turned the system off, it would have avoided a flooded kitchen. That got me interested in WiFi switching. The fly in the ointment is the fact that the location of A&E in the bowels of the regional hospital, prevents patient use of WiFi.