Question for "Tracy E"

Tracy...on another post you just wrote that you have had a PM for 10 years but are on your FOURTH device?
What happened?
I thought we got a new PM about 8-10 years???
Thanks for sharing.....cb

5 Comments

20 years

by Tracey_E - 2014-10-14 08:10:15

If I put 10, it was a typo! Sorry about that. I've been paced for 20 years. The average is actually 7-8 years, tho I've never had one last more than 7. The first one lasted 7, the next one lasted 5. A lead went bad so #3 didn't last more than a couple of years because they cranked it up to keep it working. The latest is 5 years old and has a year, maybe two, left.

whew!

by cb - 2014-10-14 09:10:56

ok .....I am more settled now...but if it is not too personal:
do you know the percentage of paces you need on the atrium and ventricles?
Is it so that the less pacing one needs the longer the battery lasts?
and thanks!

4 devices in 8 years

by stevedob - 2014-10-15 04:10:54

I'm now on my 4th device after 8 years, but only one of those was due to a battery replacement.

The initial ICD was in 2006.

A lead went wrong in 2008, requiring a replacement.

Battery needed replacing at the beginning of 2013.

Health deteriorated, requiring upgrade to CRT-D two weeks ago.

Hopefully, I now get to avoid the next operation for a good few years.

numbers

by Tracey_E - 2014-10-15 08:10:45

I pace 3-4% atria, 100% ventricle. How much you pace is only a small part of how long a battery lasts. Some are larger than others to start with. If you use a lot of the bells and whistles, that will shorten the life. If you are very predictable in your usage, they can turn down some of the safety margins to make it last longer. Then there's how much juice it takes to get your heart to beat, they always set it at the minimum but that number is different for all of us. Most reps are pretty good about doing what they can to maximize life. That said, it is what it is! I get a little jealous when I hear someone got a dozen or more years, but otoh, replacements are super easy. I feel great, that's what counts.

Battery Life

by Grateful Heart - 2014-10-15 10:10:03


Like Tracey said, it's not just the pacing percentage but other factors as well.

I have a CRT-D and I pace 100% in ventricles and 92% (it varies a little) in the atria.

My implant was almost 6 years ago and a recent interrogation revealed I have 4 more years left on my battery. As time goes by, it's possible that may become 3 years or so.....it is just an estimate.

But I'm gonna try my best to shoot for a full 10 years!

Grateful Heart

You know you're wired when...

Your device acts like a police scanner.

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