Medtronic

battery life

by Tracey_E - 2017-05-15 22:22:33

Regardless of the manufacturer, battery life estimates are just that, estimates based on usage and settings at the time they do the report. It's not like a gas tank that steadily gets used up, it more like a flat line then a sharp drop. They try to predict when the sharp drop will happen. The closer it gets to end of service, the more accurate it is.

Things such as scar tissue and impeded leads can mess up the numbers and make them drain more quickly than anticipated. I'm on my 5th St Judes. Once it said 1 year left for more than 2 years, check after check showed the same estimated life. Once a lead went bad, it went from 5 years to 2 years to replacement all in 18 months. My last one said 9-12 months in August, then in Nov it said 3-6, by January it was ready for replacement. 

They do not just die. There is a 3 month window that is called elective replacement, sort of like the gas light in a car. It's still fully functional but it's given the alert that we have less than 3 months left. Sounds like this is where you were when they replaced it. If you'd kept it the full 3 months after that notification, it would switch to end of life/end of service, which lasts another 3 months. At this point, it cuts back function. If we pace a lot, it keeps us safe but it doesn't feel too good which is why they usually try to do it during elective replacement (unless insurance requires the mode switch before allowing replacement, some do).

So, there is plenty of cushion built in and what happened to you is fairly normal.  

Your comments are inaccurate !

by IAN MC - 2017-05-16 12:49:22

Georgie

Everything you have written could happen with any make of pacemaker as Tracey explained.

How long will the batteries in your car or your torch last ?  Would you blame the manufacturer of your car if the car battery packed up. Nobody can forecast battery life with any degree of accuracy.

You should get your facts right before unnecessarily worrying people who have Medtronic pacemakers.

Ian

Battery

by georgie - 2017-05-16 20:52:58

As I said above this is my 3rd PM so I would think that by this time and 3 different doctors who replaced them that I would have been told by anyone of the doctors that they have a extra 3 months and they go into end of life/end of service mode? This is the first time I heard this. So when it comes down to 3 months from 2 and half years yes I was very scared I had a very hard time breathing and I could barely do anything. As far as scaring anyone that was not my intention it was to let them know this can happen and speak to there doctor. Also I did read up on this at Medtronic site. How after so many years it is not accurate. When you are 100% dependent on PM you get real scared knowing I don't have time to get to a hospital. So I still say talk to your doctor if you are feeling lousy.    Georgie  

why you felt bad

by Tracey_E - 2017-05-17 08:14:31

If you felt bad, it sounds like it switched to the last mode where it paces at a steady rate. It will keep us safe,but as you learned it doesn't feel good because all the bells and whistles have been turned off and it paces the same rate no matter what you do. If you'd taken your pulse during that time, it was probably 60. 

Some doctors and techs are more talkative than others. Many don't explain much of anything unless we ask. Some people don't want to know, some won't understand, some might like to know but just don't think to ask. We have to be proactive if we want to be informed. I ask tons of questions and everyone at the office knows I want to understand how things work, so they probably chatter with me more than most. Ask more questions so you have that reputation, also. Most are very willing to explain things once we make it clear we want to hear it. 

dont be afraid to change

by dwelch - 2017-05-17 21:21:19

Will kick this dead horse, the battery estimate is pretty bad, dont get worked up about it, no brand is better than another in that respect.  If everyone that commented here so far bought the same exact car and filled it full with gas, would we all get the exact same milage on that one tank?  Would any two of us?  Nope...The estimate is an estimate, dont get worked up about it.  i am on number five to be fair I had to cut number four short to get a bi-ventrical so only three of them went to term, all three medtronics.  One 7 years the others longer.  

My doc shoots me straight, I ask the tech for the printouts she doesnt trust the estimate until it says weeks or a few months.  You have months at the end of the battery life and you will feel it when it switches into this safety mode, it locks you at 65 or some other number like that, so you struggle to climb stairs, etc, even if you didnt know this just that alone would cause some folks to call the doc for a checkup which would tell them it is time...

if your doc is not telling you these things then either you are not asking or you need a new doc, dont be afraid to switch, there are good ones and bad ones, dont worry about their feelings their feelings are not as important as your livelihood.  

tons of experience on this sight, brands, etc.  I have taken three medtronics to term, two of them went into safety mode, maybe all three actually.  A st judes for a few years and am a few weeks into a boston scientific.  have three brands for leads, one 30 years, one 23 years and one three weeks old.  Yes your scar tissue at the tip of the lead should/would have settled in a long time ago.

Just like sometimes a company puts out a bad product (samsung) that needs a recall, they thought it was good but wasnt.  Sometimes happens with pacers and other medical devices, sometimes they mess up on the battery for the product, too small, other issues and sometimes they have recalls and you have to come back and get another, sometimes one of them just doesnt last as long as others from that brand or other brands for that model year.  You might buy a car and get one of the ones from a bad year and just have to ride it out for several years before you replace it...

You are not the only 100% dependent person here.  And it sounds to me like you need a new doc or practice, if insurance covers it, have you go in for more checks to put you at ease that through the course of the life of that device it is not running away on usage.  I dont actually have one of these boxes for one reason before and now with this one by choice, but will see if they make me.  but the modern boxes that you put under/beside the bed that checks on you, that would/should put you at ease it in theory would have indicated that you had switched over...I assume, but you would have to check with the docs or the device vendor...

Now that you know about this safety mode, if you start feeling bad like this last time around, check your pulse, climb some stairs check your pulse if it is locked in at some low-ish rate, call the doc.  Ask the tech for a printout every time you go in the crappy estimate is on there, dont freak out on it but you can see if/how it is changing, I have had some that are like the gas tank gauge on your car (note they intetionally don tmake that accurate, they are non-linear on purpose) speeds up in the middle then takes a while to dive into empty at the end.  I had one we went on 6 month visits for like 3 years before it edged over, this was before battery estimates you looked at the voltage trend over time.

Leads

by shelee - 2017-05-21 10:38:04

Hi it does not only depend on battery life. I was told that my vt lead is at a high threshold, which means that it reduces the battery life faster.