PM replacement after only 15 months

I had my first PM (Medtronics Stratoes) put in on Oct 15, 09 and thought it would last at least 5 years. I learned this past week that my battery is indicating that it only has 8 months or less left on it. My settings are more than double the normal because my heart requires it to work. I pace 100% on one lead and 80% on the second and then 50% on the third lead. Has anyone ever had to have their PM replaced so quickly? Also I will probably have at least one of the leads replaced. Will my recovery be like the original surgery so that I have to stay overnight and not lift my arm for a month? Any thoughts?

3 Comments

pm replacement

by seeker588 - 2010-08-29 01:08:17

Hello Kathy
I had my pm replaced just before last Christmas after just three years of use.Apparently I had received a pm prone too premature batterie drain,at least according too the letter I'd received from Medtronics.
The repacement itself was no problem.I went into the hospital in the morning,and went home the following afternoon.I haven't had any problems so far.
Good luck










replacements

by Tracey_E - 2010-08-29 08:08:11

My last battery only lasted two years. I had a bad lead so it was cranked way up to get the signal through. Think window open with the air conditioning running; the house will cool but your power bill will be high.

If you get a new lead, recovery restrictions and how long you are in the hospital will be similar to your first placement. It'll be somewhat easier, tho, because you already have the pocket and they'll be going through scar tissue. I was kept overnight so they could check the lead again the next day to make sure it was still pacing properly. When I just had batteries replaced (I'm on #4 now) I've been home in time for lunch.

Battery replacement

by ElectricFrank - 2010-08-29 12:08:17

The pacing voltage and pulse width are the largest draw on the batteries. With 3 of them pacing I can see where battery life could be short especially if the pacing energy is set high. Also, if you have a bad lead they may have it turned way up to compensate. At one point in my first pacers life they turned the ventricle pacing voltage way up because I had problems with reliable capture in the ventricle lead. The next interrogation showed a dramatic drop in remaining battery life.

As for replacement if you need to have a lead replaced you will have the same restriction on arm lifting as with the original. Without a lead replacement there is no such restriction, and recovery is just a matter of giving the incision time to heal. Whether you will spend a night in the hospital is more a function of your doctor, what time of day the surgery is done, and what type of anesthesia you have.

My replacement used the existing leads, I had the surgery around 10:00AM, and I chose not to have a sedative and remained totally awake. The only time in the hospital after the surgery was waiting a few hours to have an antibiotic drip. I left the hospital about 5:00PM and stopped to eat out on the way home. I just treated it like any incision and gave it time to heal.

frank

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