BATTERY LIFE NOT AS GOOD

I am in touch with quite a number of pacemaker patients both here in the UK and abroad. I cannot help noticing that I recieve comments that " My old pacemaker laste 15 years but the new one will only last 6". What on earth is going on? I know that pacemakers have got smaller but it is leading to more frequent surgery for replacements. I think all pacemakers should be made to last at least ten years. I have an AV node ablation so the medical risks at replacement for me are much higher. My chest will be sliced open every 6 1/2 years. And yet a 50% increase in the volume of the pacemaker would mean that it might last 13 years. I really think we should start lobbying our pacemaker manufacturers to insist on slightly larger pacemakers. The manufacturers are making a mint out of all these frequent replacements. Lets blow the whistle on this scam. Peter

6 Comments

Hi,

by Gellia2 - 2007-10-02 03:10:28

I have to agree with Peter. My pacemaker tech told me that even with all the "bells and whistles" that a pacemaker has today, they could still make the generator 1/3 of an inch larger on each side and the battery (a total of about 2/3 of an inch overall) could last up to 5-8 years longer than they do now. Having had a first pacer that weighed 2 1/2 pounds, I would gladly accept a slightly larger pacemaker for the added years of battery life. My techie also told me the companies don't want to do that. Smaller in size translates to more sold, more often. That sounds like keeping the stockholders happier than the pacemaker/ICD recipients to me. Whether we could do anything about it, I don't know, but over the years I've had a pacemaker I had one last for 16 years and the last one for only 5 1/2 years. Did they learn anything different with the last one? If so, they never told me. I'd rather have the longer battery life. Repeated surgeries and extra scar tissue that forms with the numerous surgeries has risks in itself.
With each surgery, my pacemaker site hurts more and I wind up with more problems. I'd happily take a larger battery for less operations. The information they can receive and transmit remains the same.
Gellia

Invest in company?

by dward - 2007-10-02 04:10:26

We could just buy some Medtronic stock!?!?
(MEDTRONIC INC (MDT:NYSE))

Might make it easier to take getting a new PM more often if we're getting some of our money back...!

Okay, I'm just kidding!

Hmmmn $58. / share...

large enough

by PreciousDays - 2007-10-02 08:10:42

It doesn't weigh 21/2 pounds - but my pacemaker is much larger than any I've ever seen on any one else - I work in a medical environment - with a ton of nurses, and even they are all surprised by the size of this puppy. It does have a ton of bells and whistles - (it's a biventricular pacer - with a defibrillator - and is only expected to last 5.8 years...... because it runs all the time) It is about the length and width of a bar of beauty soap (rounded at the edges and ends - and all) but - thankfully less thick. I've only had it for a month - so it might get a little smaller - but it doesn't feel like there is room for anything much bigger without taking up my entire chest. I think the stock idea makes a lot of sense..... PD

I suppose it's point of view...

by dward - 2007-10-02 11:10:12

Hello Peter,
I can appreciate your frustration with projected life of your PM battery. I too have heard that some old PMs lasted much longer, however, they were also (as far as I have read) alot simpler.
In my case, my PM only works when I need it and is programmed to be more sensitive at night (when I need it most).
I was told that not too many years ago, I would have received a PM that was not near as programmable as the one I have. This (according to my research) is a very good thing because in my case, the less I use my PM the better. So I suppose it depends on your point of view.
The one thing I am truly greatful for is that PM batteries appear to be much more reliable than the batteries in my laptop (I've replaced three in two years!!!)
Cheers!

Not really a scam

by enzobake - 2007-10-02 12:10:53

Peter,

Older devices were basically just a battery and not much else. If you had a problem (arrythmia, etc) doctors were most often not able to examine the episode in depth, if they were able to see it at all. Often only one diagnostic parameter was available. New devices use approx 50% of the total size for battery and the rest for diagnostics. The overall size of the devices has decreased as batteries became more efficient and technology increased.
Trust me when I tell you that this increase in diagnostic capability and programming options has made a HUGE difference in the quality of care that is able to be delivered.
As far as projected longevity, that will vary for every single person that has a device and is based on a large variety of factors. Some folks will absolutely have a device last 10 years.
Without knowing all of your specifics, generally speaking a AV Nodal ablation will not significantly increase your health risks during replacement if you have a capable DR.

I like the stock idea

by gldoble - 2007-10-03 12:10:03

Just a note from the tech side of the world. And unfortunetly I am an Electronics Engineer. I have found, that there are trails underway both in Boston and here on the west coast for entirely differnt types of PM's. Ones that don't have an embeded battery but rather work off of nanite systems that in one case draw on the micro voltage your body normaly creates and stores the electricity into what is called a "Super Cap". The super cap is actually a high speed low current set of capacitros that bleed off their electricty in the same manor as a current 1.2v or 3.3 v battery.

What is cool about this is, is that you get cut once and thats it. I really hope that when my batery has dropped down in 6 years that this will be available.

Then there is another set of research being done here in San Diego County by a couple of bio-tech compaies that will remove the PM completly from the equation and replace it with a set of nanites that will work together on top of your heart, all linked and controlling the rythm of your heart. Now that would be cool. So maybe by my third replacment it will be there. Lets hope so. But in the mean time lets go aftern Boston and St. Joe and ask for stock. The least they can do for what they get paid.

Greg

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I'm 35 and got my pacemaker a little over a year ago. It definitely is not a burden to me. In fact, I have more energy (which my husband enjoys), can do more things with my kids and have weight because of having the energy.