transmission monitor

Medtronic Remote Monitor?

by Marybird - 2021-03-06 08:40:19

If what you have is a Medtronic MyCare Link Home Communicator remote monitor- looks a bit like a cupholder to me, round with the light in the middle-, that sounds about normal for those devices.

The green light is supposed to stay on during the day and when it's in the light ( as in when its in a room with the light on), and goes off during the night or its in a dark room ( or under the bed with a towel over it, I imagine). 

So if your monitor light is on when you turn on the light, and goes off in a dark room, the monitor is acting according to its specifications, all is ok.

I can see where it would be confusing, though. We have a friend who recently got a Medtronic pacemaker, and a remote monitor. He noticed the green light went out at night, stayed on when it was light, and thought there was a problem with the monitor. His wife told us that he insisted they had to sleep with the lights on for 3 nights before they discovered this was normal for that monitor.

remote transmission

by new to pace.... - 2021-03-06 09:41:21

That is what i have.  Only last night the light did not come on with the overhead light on.  This morning the green light did not come on with the over head light on.   Now it is slow to come on when i turned the overhead light on and went back off.  Tried it again with the overhead light on than off  this time  the green light stayed on.  Today it is cloudy out.

  Should i be concerned in the future if it does go off and stays off?

new to pace.

Medtronic transmissions

by Gemita - 2021-03-06 10:04:43

new to pace,

Are the transmissions going through okay?  Do they go through automatically or do you send them periodically?  You need a monitor you can rely on if you are being monitored frequently.  

If transmissions are going through okay both automatically and manually, then I would feel sort of reassured but would take the monitor into your clinic for some checks or speak to Medtronic for guidance.

I have an old my care link Medtronic monitor from 2016 so do not feel I can help you but my green light isn't always steady but the transmissions both automatic and manual are going through okay.  Test the equipment and see what happens?

Monitor Activities

by Marybird - 2021-03-06 13:04:05

New, I think if your monitor light doesn't come on when it's light, or is intermittent, there might be a problem ( with the light, anyway) and in my opinion this warrants a call to your Medtronic customer service or wherever they tell you to call with questions or problems. That is what I would do, anyway.

Gemita, best as I can tell from the wireless remote monitors I'm more or less familiar with ( St. Jude Merlin@home- mine, and the Medtronic MyCareLink HomeCommunicator- my daughter's) they don't give you any indication a transmission is successful. Looks like they just sit there, though there are icons that are supposed to light up if a transmission was not successful, at least on the Merlin@Home transmitter, I'm not familiar with the Medtronic transmitter to know about such indicators on this device. 

So it seems the pacemaker manufacturers and care providers operate on a "no news is good news" principle, so in the event of successful transmissions  and a monitor looking like it's just a dustcatcher on the nightstand, a person would have to contact their providers or the pacemaker manufacturer to ask about transmissions for their devices.

FWIW, I'd guess that New's monitor is transmitting ok ( otherwise I'd think there would be some notification of transmitter failures) and it's just the power light that is failing, but if it were me I would have to check for sure. 

Little tip at night

by quikjraw - 2021-03-06 13:08:31

My monitor is sometimes does not go off automatically. I have no idea why it seems to not notice it has gone dark.

Rather than covering with a towel, all you need to do is put your finger over the little tiny light sensor next to the big button for a few seconds and it then notices it is dark and switches off for the duration of the night.

Obviously only do this when your bedroom light is off or it will come back on again when it senses the light :)

thanks to all

by new to pace.... - 2021-03-06 13:28:36

So far the transmissions have been done automatically the last one in Jan 2021 was successful.  Medtonic sends me an email and my sister a text saying successful.  Will wait until the next one is due in April before i contact Medtronic. 

Could have been a piece of dust over the sensor , as it seems to be working ok now.  march 6,2021 at 12:30est.

new to pace

Monitor

by AgentX86 - 2021-03-06 14:17:03

Mine (Medtronic) looks more like a cheap 70's telephone, instead of the hand unit in has the puck for communicating with the PM.  It also has a bunch of LEDs on top that, some nights insists on flashing so brightly it looks like there is a thunderstorm approaching.  It's all around a hunk of junk.  I really should wrap it in a towel and throw it under the bed.

Monitor light

by Katja3 - 2021-03-06 16:11:22

I have Biotronic remote device and in order to not see the light I took a Command strip velcro stickers and glued the device at the back of night table.

Not its close but out of sight. No more staring green lights.