Batteries

I didn't know batteries could interfere with my pacemaker. How about my watch battery. Should I get a watch that I have to wind up instead of one that uses batteries?
Also, at my last pacemaker check the tech mentioned that I might have to have a lead replaced. I heard that they literally take your heart out of your chest to remove old leads. Please tell me this isn't true. Removing leads leaves holes in your heart that the doctors have to repair and that's why they have to take your heart out.
I don't understand. Do they have to change the leads everytime they change the batteries. How big are the batteries, and how often to they need replacing. How long does a battery replacement take.
The batteries on my golf cart sit right behind me and they don't have a covering over them at all. Do you think this is what's causing my leads to need to be replaced?

5 Comments

DONT WORRY

by pete - 2009-03-06 03:03:33

No battery wrist watch will interfere with your pacemaker. They wont take your heart out to replace a lead. I dont know who told you that. If leads prove difficult to remove they can often be left in place and a new one still fitted. No they dont nrmally change your leads when they replace your battery/pacemaker. The battery occupies half of the internal space inside your pacemaker and can be as small as 2x 3cm coins . It takes less than an hour usually to replace, sometimes as little as 3o minutes depending on the type of pacemaker. Your golf cart is not affecting your leads. Cheers Peter

size

by Tracey_E - 2009-03-06 04:03:21

sorry, didnt' see your last two questions. The battery is in the pm unit, so the whole thing is replaced. They vary in size but will usually be a bit larger than a silver dollar.

Leads most often go bad because they get a kink in them. The golf cart has nothing to do with it.

no

by Tracey_E - 2009-03-06 04:03:56

No, you don't need to get a new watch.

No, they don't take your heart out. Worst case, they take the leads out through your vein with a laser. IF something goes wrong doing this, it's possible they'd have to go in to repair it but your heart stays where it is. But that's rare! Only IF you need an extraction, and then only IF you have complications doing the extraction. Usually, they just put a new lead on on top of the old one, they do not do an extraction unless you have too many leads. And that's only if they have to replace it. It's possible to have a lead with problems that they can still make it work. I've had a bad lead for about five years now and other than draining my battery, I'm getting along just fine with it.

Battery replacement

by ElectricFrank - 2009-03-07 01:03:29

Actually, they leave your heart where it is and remove your body from around it. Then they hook a quick charger to the battery and give it a zap. They if they can find where they left your body they install it back around your heart. After all is zipped back up they run you down the hospital hall at full speed and shift you into gear.

Hope this helps you feel better about it. (: :).

frank

My experience

by janetinak - 2009-03-07 03:03:08

I see you have only had your Guidant PM since 2008. I had my 1st Guidant put in 2000 & had to have it replaced in 2003. I am 100%-er & there was something wrong with my single ventricle lead so in 2003 when my Dr. took out the PM (the battery) he pulled out the lead & replaced it & I got a new Guidant PM too. My Dr. told me as my lead had only been in 3 yrs that there was a good chance he could pull it out & he did. As mentioned above the other option is to just put another lead in with the 1st. I understand that you can have 3 or 4 leads in at the same time. I am glad he was able to get the 1st lead out tho. I just went in this past wk for an office check on the PM & have about 1.5 yrs left on this PM. So 2003 to maybe 2010 is pretty good for my 100% freind.

I like Frank's explaination above too but I think he's been hanging around too many auto repair shops,hah!

Janet

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Member Quotes

I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.