Rate drop response

I am having Pacemaker , Biotronik make Evia DR T since 6th June 2011. On 26th October 2014 Doctor has put " Rate Drop Response " ON. Will it have any effect on balance battery life ?
What will be expected balance battery life of the Pacemaker ? What is normal battery life of a Biotronik make Evia DR T pacemaker ? If it is required to change battery then only battery will be changed or the existing one has to be replaced with new pacemaker ?

4 Comments

Battery life

by golden_snitch - 2014-10-25 01:10:41

Hi there!


Battery life depends on a lot of factors and these differ from patient to patient: amplitude (output voltage needed to effectively) stimulate the heart, lead impedance, pacing percentage, features activated, pacemaker model, ..., and so on. Activating a feature like the rate drop response will probably have no affect at all on the overall battery life. It's the sum of all the above mentioned criteria that defines how long the battery will last.

I guess when you ask people here how long their battery lasted or is projected to last, you'll get lots of different answers. There will be some in whom it lasted only 5-6 years, and others who got 10-15 out of it.

When you go for your next pacemaker interrogation, you can ask what the current estimate for your battery life is. But keep in mind that it can always change, it's just an estimate. I had my latest pacemaker, a Biotronik Evia, put in in January and the estimate at the moment says 9 years, 5 month, when in the beginning the projection was more than 11 years.

The battery is part of the pacemaker generator (unit) and cannot be replaced. You always get a whole new generator, but the leads can stay in, those can last many, many years.

Best wishes

Inga

battery life

by Tracey_E - 2014-10-25 11:10:38

Most setting changes have a negligible effect on battery life. Getting a new generator seems like a big deal the first time but you'll quickly learn it's quick and easy, nothing like the first time. Do whatever it takes to keep feeling good, don't worry about if a feature is going to affect it. Most of the time the individual features don't have any significant impact anyway but it is what it is. Rate drop doesn't kick in very often, the other settings (most of which are out of our control) such as voltage will have much more of an impact. Don't sweat it. I'm on #4 now and have never had one last more than 7 years. I feel great and can do pretty much whatever I want so that's what I focus on.

Rate drop response

by APgirl - 2014-10-26 10:10:16

This setting can be really useful and make life a lot more comfortable if you are having big drops. The impact on the battery is minor and getting it set to suit you will make a huge difference.

Ap

Changes

by pacemaker20 - 2014-10-30 04:10:41

Hi, jkdutta. I got my pacemaker a year ago. At first, they said it would last around 18 years. At my post surgery check up it had dropped to 16. A couple months later it was estimated at 13 and another month later, it was 12. In under a year I had already lost 6 estimated years of use. It's definitely hard to say how long it will last. I ask every time I go in what it has changed to. You can get an idea but not a sure thing.

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