Biotronik

Hi...new to this! Thanks for making the site available! I have a dual chamber Biotronik pacer and am now a little scared to have it replaced in 2012 based on your disclosures of personal experiences with the product. Mine was placed after a complete heart block emergency and I was not given a choice or time to research the products. Still, I am grateful to be alive.

7 Comments

maggiemay

by maggiemay - 2010-01-15 03:01:50

Smitty, what a nice letter. The Maggie May comments were especially sweet. Thank you for sharing! Your story is lovely.

Don't worry

by golden_snitch - 2010-01-15 10:01:41

Hey there,

I don't understand why you are worried, and you definitely shouldn't be. Has anyone here said that Biotronik is really bad? Even if, unless it's not based on the fact that Biotronik has lots of recalls, it's just a personal experience. And then, as long as you don't have any problems with this pacer, there is no need to worry.

The truth is: basically, all pacers do the same job, and they do it well. There are some minor differences for example with regards to rate response sensors, mode switch algoritms, upper rate limits etc., but other than that every pacer will make sure that your heart rate doesn't get too slow or pauses. The differences I talked about might be of interest when you have any special needs. For example, I need my rate response a lot - with a heart block you don't, unless your sinus node doesn't work - and so I made sure I got a pacer with two sensors for rate response.

If it calms you down: when you need to have the pacer replaced, you can get a different manufacturer. It's not like once Biotronik, always Biotronik.

Best wishes,
Inga

Pacemaker Concerns

by SMITTY - 2010-01-15 12:01:01

Hello Maggie May.

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club.

I totally agree with Inga. Don't be concerned about the reliability of a replacement pacemaker in 2012, If everything made by man was as dependable as pacemakers there would be a lot of unemployed repairmen/women. The numbers I see say that to date more than a million of all brands have been implanted. The providers of this site say we have some 10,000 members. Of those that post questions few do it because they have a problem with their pacemaker. Most are just looking for information. Based on these numbers I say few people have a problem with their pacemaker. For those that do have a problem it is more than likely that the people (doctors, nurses and technicians) that are responsible for making changes in the operation have too little knowledge of pacemakers.

As for your 2012 date replacement time, seems to me someone has the most reliable crystal ball I ever heard of. I got my first pacemaker in 2000 and was told the expected battery life was 5 to 7 years. I had to have it replaced in 2009. My guess is that 5 to 7 years is an estimate based on the pacemaker working full time, which is not the case for most. Again take mine for example when it was implanted it did work greater than 90% of the time. but after a few adjustments to the settings that dropped to less than 20% of the time for about 6 or 7 years then it went back to about 90%.

I guess my message is when you have a pacemaker checkup an estimated remaining battery life is reported. Take a look at those numbers and this can give you a feel for the time of replacement for your pacemaker. And above all don't worry about the reliability of that replacement. Like most everything, improvements are being made with new models of pacemakers so your replacement will probably be better than the one you now have.

Maggie May, I have to tell you I am fond of that name. About 65 years ago there was a little blonde that was my true love. I thought I was her's until that big old plow boy with the guitar walked into her life and it was down the road you go for Smitty. But that was alright, I got even by marrying his sister, with whom I'll celebrate our 61st anniversary in April, and he lost Maggie May to a cowboy a few months later.

Good luck,

Smitty

Pacer Manufacturers

by pacemaker writer - 2010-01-16 01:01:31

Biotronik actually has a very strong reliability record. In fact, it has not had a lead recall ever--and none of the other manufacturers can say that.

As a former pacemaker company employee, Biotronik has the reputation of being the "engineers' company" meaning it is driven by engineering. They have really exemplary reliability records and they promote that in their materials given to doctors.

As for technology, Biotronik is a leader in certain kinds of rate response and also certain types of home monitoring.

Medtronic, Boston Scientific, St. Jude, and Sorin/ELA also make fine products. I have noticed that sometimes a doctor will prefer one type of pacemaker over another. It's not really a judgment of quality, in most cases, it's more that a doctor gets familiar with one brand and tends to go with what is familiar.

Disclaimer

by pacemaker writer - 2010-01-16 01:01:40

Oh-oh!

You might think I work for Biotronik and there's a conflict of interest. I have done freelance work for them, but I also work in that capacity for St. Jude Medical and Sorin/ELA and have, in the past, worked for Medtronic like that. I was on staff at St. Jude and Intermedics (now Boston Scientific).

vwilson

by vwilson - 2014-04-20 08:04:07

I would like to find out why they canceled the three lead pacemaker last year the Biotronic Home montoring system

vwilson

by vwilson - 2014-04-20 08:04:58

I would like to find out why they canceled the three lead pacemaker last year the Biotronik Home montoring system

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