Replacement

Had a St Jude pacemaker for five years now and have annual checkups to see how the P M battery is coping
My Question is: - what exactly do they check? And how do they know when to change the P M
I am fully dependant on the little devil and the thought of having a new PM is starting to become urgent

5 Comments

Battery Replacement

by jenh - 2008-05-14 02:05:56

Hi Stuart,

I don't actually know all of the things that they check in a pacemaker appointment, but a big one is how much battery power is left. Since they can also tell, on average, how much power your pacemaker uses to pace your heart, they can calculate approximately how many months of life your battery has left. When I was under 1 year of life left in mine, my doctor started seeing me for checkups every 3 months, and when it had about 3 months of battery life left they scheduled the surgery.

I think most people experience the battery replacement as being easier than the first one, especially if they can use the old leads.

I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best.

Jen

my experience

by roy haycock - 2008-05-14 12:05:54

I have had two replacement PM's with no problems. As jehn says, they check the battery level, increase the frequency of these checks and then set an internal alarm in the PM which will activate, well before the battery gets too low, to warn you so that you can go back to the consultant in good time to arrange the replacement. Best wishes.

Batteery

by papaknight - 2008-06-14 01:06:00

Next time you go for a checkup, ask them for a full report. You can get a report of every check they have ever done. this way you can kinda watch and figure how fast your battery is going down. Do your homework. Best of Luck to you.

Life of the PM Battery

by panda - 2010-03-11 02:03:41

I have a St Jude representative (Richard) who checks my Pace Maker every 6 months. I always ask him for a copy of the report he submits to my Cardiologist. Next time you go for a checkup ask them for a full report and the "rep" will print one right there and give it to you. Ask questions and you will get answers. I have a great "rep" and he takes the time to explain and answer my questions well. The status of the battery life is on the report. My first PM lasted 9 yrs. My 2nd PC is good for 12 years or up to 2020. Everyone's PM is programmed differently. The way my PC is programmed (very well) I will get 12 yrs out of it. Good luck.

panda's comments on PM battery life

by panda - 2017-08-28 14:55:00

08-28-17-This is panda with an update about my PM battery life. My 2nd PM battery life was 9 years. Same with my first PM battery life at 9 years. I just had my 3rd PM implanted on 08-15-17 and it was successful and it an outpatient surgery. I was in the hospital at 9am and out at 2pm same day. Anyway back to the battery life. My 2nd PM battery I was told should have lasted 12 years. It did not. I have a great technican who checks my PM out every 6 to 12 months. He does a good job of trying to get the most life out of the battery and still make sure the PM is doing what it needs to be done for me. But the battery life only reached 9 years. So, when that happens all you can do is get a new PM. <end>

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