new pacemaker needed

Hello all,

I am new to this group and I'm so happy to have this connection with other pacemaker recipients. I received a pacemaker when I was ten years old due to complete congenital heart block. It has lasted me to date ( I am now 31 years old) and just had a beautiful baby girl 2 months ago. My last checkup indicated that I will need a new pacer in less than a year. My current one is a Guidant with one guidant lead and one Medtronic lead. I know they don't make the pacers to last that long anymore, but I am reaching out to anyone that might know of a model that will be long lasting and not have alot of bells and whitles that use up battery power?
Any advice is appreciated!! Thanks!

2 Comments

Welcome

by J.B. - 2009-11-19 05:11:59

Hi Soliver,

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club.

I say don't worry about what brand of pacemaker you get. If your current one has lasted 21 years, then it is not having to help your heart very often and unless things change to make the new one help your heart more often it will probably last about as long. I must say I think your's is the longest living pacemaker that has been mentioned here. I saw one that said they had theirs for 15 years and another that quoted 19 years and now yours at 21.

The life of a pacemaker battery is totally dependant on how much the pacemaker is called on to provide an impulse to make your heart beat. Used 100% of the time and the life expectancy of the battery is 3 to 5 years, and so on, depending on percent of time used. When it is not sending an impulse it just sits there monitoring your heart function (which I think uses very little battery current) waiting for a call to help. My guess is that your pacemaker is just sitting there a lot of the time. At least the new one will be able to tell your doctor what percentage of the time it is sending an impulse when you get a checkup. Which is something your current one may not can do. That could be a question to ask you doctor unless you already have the answer.

Good luck to you,

J.B.

First Time PM

by Carolyn65 - 2009-11-19 08:11:19

Just had my first PM implanted in early Oct. 2009. Mime is a Boston Scientific w/Guidant. I was told before PM it should last 5 ~ 6 years. Congrats to you for these many years! I guess it all depends on you and your Dr. My Dr. did not tell me names/makes nor did we talk about choices. before PM.

May you have the same good fortune with your new one. Hope the best for you, Carolyn G. in TEXAS ( :

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My pacemaker is the best thing that every happened to me, had I not got it I would not be here today.