Medtronics

Do you have the old Medtronic phone monitor - see second link?

by Gemita - 2023-12-29 03:06:35

Gemma, the Medtronic phone monitor can be temperamental I recall but accidentally turning it off shouldn’t affect its operation long term, unless you forget to turn it back on?  After all, for all sorts of reasons we could lose connection like due to loss of adequate cellular signal or due to a power cut.  

You could try using the monitor manually and send a transmission to your clinic to see whether your monitor is working appropriately, if you are in any way concerned?  Personally I would just turn it back on and not worry about it.  

I attach two Medtronic links in case they are of help, depending on how your pacemaker is monitored?  You should have received an instruction booklet with any monitor in any event.   You will need to copy and paste the links into your main browser to open.  

With blue toothed enabled heart devices today, many of us are using our smart phones.  My pacemaker is not blue toothed enabled, so I use a "reader" with my smart phone to transmit data to my clinic on an as needed basis, since I attend clinic regularly for checks and adjustments.  I used to have the telephone monitor with the Reveal Linq implant.  My husband uses the Medtronic phone monitor that automatically sends transmissions periodically (see second link):

https://www.medtronic.com/uk-en/patients/treatments-therapies/remote-monitoring/available-monitors.html

https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/remote-monitoring/mycarelink-monitor/setup-instructions.html

Medtronic

by piglet22 - 2023-12-30 06:19:52

What type of Medtronic do you have?

That will dictate how your implanted device communicates with the bedside monitor.

Older devices did not commonly have Bluetooth capability built in, but newer ones often do and that allows communication with other Bluetooth devices like mobile phones.

Gemita has explained the difference.

Her and my device communities through a chest reader on MyCareLink, then via Bluetooth to the base unit, then to the server via cellular links.

The key unit whether or not you have a device with Bluetooth is the base unit which is normally continuously powered by the house electricity supply.

Sooner or later, you will lose power to the unit

 If you lived in the UK, it will be sooner 

I had eight power cuts in one day, which played havoc with timers etc., but the MCL came through unscathed.

Very rapid power cycling (on/off) can damage electronic equipment as can power surges when power is restored.

I am confident that any well designed, especially medical, equipment, is going to be well protected against most of the common power issues, and certainly powering up from cold will not be a problem. Afterall, it came in a box unpowered.

There might well be a reset sequence built in but this is a last resort option. Devices like WiFi routers have difficult to get to reset buttons or there may be a specific start up operation.

A reset on a base unit would only ever be done if explicitly instructed.

The bottom line is that it is very unlikely that accidentally turning the power off will have any effect.

In the UK, you can register with the power supplier to be on their priority register, especially if you have medical devices at home. My supplier is UK Power Networks. This is not the company you pay the bill to.

Personally, if I were worried about unreliable power, I would invest in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) which will maintain power during outages to your base until.

The UPS will also protect your monitor.

I am on my second monitor after faults developed on the first. Whether this was power cut related I don't know.

You can also ask your pacing team if you have any concerns.

Thanks.

by Gemma777 - 2023-12-30 08:04:51

It seems to be working fine. The green circle in the middle is lit up, so I assume all is well. Thanks for your taking the time to answer my question 🙂

unplugged

by new to pace.... - 2023-12-30 11:10:46

i have a similiar device.  Anyway all information is stored in your  pacemaker device.  Will transmit when you are near again.  Can be a couple of days or week. I send my heart center via the patient portal a brief email if am away from the trasmitter for at least a day. 

new to pace