Pacemaker Club: Should I be concerned???

Should I be concerned???

by msthackston
2013-07-09 05:07:22
Batteries & Leads
1464 views
2 comments

Just a bit of history. Last June my cardiologist told me I had 6mo-1yr left on my battery. I had a check up in December and again they said I had 6mo-1yr. I went back March to have my battery checked and was told it was now 3mo-6mo and that I would need to come in monthly since I do not have home monitoring. I had my pacemaker checked in April with the same message and again today I had it checked. I went to a different office that is closer to my house and saw and EP nurse that I have not seen before. She told me that I had .25 of a year left of my battery. My voltage was 2.6 and she told me they do not schedule a replacement until it was below 2.5. I told her that the nurse I regularly see was having me come in monthly to have it checked. She said that was not necessary and that she did not need to see me for 3 months. Last time I checked .25 of a year was 3 months. I was not comfortable with this, but she insisted this was okay. I called the EP nurse at the office I regularly go to and left them a message. A different nurse called me back and was rather rude and told me based on my voltage it was okay to wait 3 months. I told her that I did not feel comfortable with this since the nurse I normally see had told me it be checked monthly since I did not have monitoring at home. She said she was aware of this, but it was okay to wait the 3 months. Maybe I am over reacting, but I am pretty much pacemaker dependent (paced 90-95% of the time) and I do not want my battery to run out before I get a chance to get back in to see the nurse in 3 months. Has any one had any experience with this or have any suggestions?

2 Comments

Time For New Battery

by SMITTY - 2013-07-09 11:07:11

Hello,

Others have given you some good info about your PM and I'll not try to add anything theirs. As you have been told the battery on your PM is good for 5 to 12 years, depending on how much it is used. Your dr can tell you the percent of time it is used when they do a checkup. My first one lasted 9 years.

Below is a copy of something I wrote for a member that was going through pretty much the same thing you are. I can see you think about what may happen if your PM battery runs completely down in between your frequent visit to the dr. The likelihood of it stopping without warning is about the same as it is for the sun to set in the East. It just ain't going to happen.

When the battery power reaches a certain level known as EOL (End of Life) or the PM goes into ERM (Elective Replacement Mode) or one called a VVI there is enough battery power left to safely operate the PM for at least three months.

You will know when this level of battery power is reached as the PM shifts from being an on demand PM to a full time PM. As a full time PM it will make your heart beat at a constant 65 BPM, regardless of the settings it may have. When this happened to mine I knew it without a doubt. The low setting on mine was 80 and one morning I got up with a constant heart rate of 65 with a some irregular beats thrown in for good measure. It got my attention immediately.

Fortunately for me I had read what would happens when the battery reaches EOL, ERM or VVI. While it was not painful, it was uncomfortable enough to cause me to call the dr. office ASAP. I was told to it was probably a low battery and to come in for a checkup. The low battery was confirmed and I was scheduled for a new PM the next day.

The thing is, don't be concerned about being left without a working PM because of the battery. Our PMs have enough safety features we will not be left out in the cold without any warning the battery on the PM is reaching the end of its life.

I was told the same thing.

by Tcobb89 - 2013-07-11 02:07:25

You will be fine. The battery can last up to 3 to 4 months after it is time for you to go back for a new oneâ¦they're are signs for your battery getting closer to dying, such as, dizzy, fainting, or even blacking outâ¦ I used to be afraid of this also, but i have gotten so close to my PM doctor that I trust her with whatever she does or says...