PM battery........

I have a Medtronic KDR701. I'm due for another pacemaker, the battery has a little over a year of battery life. I was told that when it get's too low it will set itself to pace only the ventricle lead at 65 bpm. Now, I have my pacemaker on standby and I also have pacemaker syndrome. I can't help to wondering what will happen to me if this thing decides to pace my ventricle lead at 65 beats. My question is, has anyone had there Medtronic pacemaker go direct to 65 bpm due to battery being low and how low was the battery? I will call Medtronic's tomorrow but for now any stories will be helpful for peace of mind. Thanks

7 Comments

Hey buddy

by Christmmpace - 2009-10-14 01:10:55

My concerns is that my heart beats normally and the pacemaker is on stand-by, should this little electronic life saver go into back up mode, I'm not sure I could make it to the phone. LOL. I'm not sure why they would program the ventricle to pace and not both, I'm worried about this back up mode. I will be calling first thing in the morning. Thanks so much for your input Frank, your a good man. Take care and God bless you and your family.

James

back up

by Tracey_E - 2009-10-14 06:10:36

All pm's are always on standby, they watch what our hearts do all the time and step in only when needed. Some of us just need it a lot more than others.

I don't know why they'd say the back up mode will only pace ventricle. If you have a 2-lead pm, it will not let your atrial or ventricular rate fall below your minimum setting. Maybe your atrial rate is fine and doesn't need paced? What you lose in this mode is the other functions that allow your hr to go up and down and simulate a natural rhythm. You won't feel full of energy, but you won't be keeling over either.

Some insurance co's require it to be in this mode before replacement, but ask. I've had 3 replacements and they've never let me get close to this mode. My battery currently has 6-12 mos left, so we will replace it in about 4 months.

The battery

by Beckes76 - 2009-10-14 06:10:40

When I got my new one four years ago. One of my leads was on the backup mode totally and the other was comepletley out of juice. I had a hard time breathing and walking a lot. My symptoms were only there for a week and I was due for a check up. Luckily my boss was so understanding that the following Monday I had the surgery. That was the first time that it had done that too me. Usually they catch it sooner then that. I was on the every four month check-up at the time. That one lasted 8 1/2 years. I was thankful for that.

PM Battery

by SMITTY - 2009-10-14 09:10:00


Hello James

Talk about an opportune time for you to post your message, this was it for me. I have a Medtronic KDR 700 series pacemaker with an "estimated remaining battery life" of 7 months, and a low set point is 80.

Last Friday (10-09-09) I started feeling like the devil and since then have had to be careful moving around because of being dizzy and a time or two thinking I was going to pass out. I checked my heart rate and found a smooth running 65, with occasional excursions into the mid-40s. Now, events like this are nothing new, but they are usually short lived and then things return to normal. This time things have not returned to normal and I have an appointment for this afternoon to get my PM checked out.

Thanks to your message when I go in this afternoon I will be much better armed in case they start their usual B.S. of "Mr. Smith the problem is not your pacemaker as it is working just fine."

I'm also waiting for a reply from Medtronic.

Thanks again,

Smitty

Hi,

by Gellia2 - 2009-10-14 09:10:33

As the others have said, going into end of life battery stage is not something to be scared about. My insurance company makes me wait until I reach end of battery life (you have about 4 months left) each time I've had a battery change.

I've had seven replacements so far and each time it went to 65bpm. For the last one, they had it set at 60 bpm and that was a bit too low for me. My symptoms were just being a bit more tired and out of breath than I normally was.

When you call to monitor your pacemaker they check the EofL at that time. When you pacemaker drops to the 65bpm (that's what the magnet is for) they know you have approximately 4 or so months left.

I call for my testing every three months now. When I reach having the pacemaker for 3 years, I think they move it to every 2 months and finally every month.

With all the replacements I have had (I'm 100% dependent with a 3rd degree HB) I have never had a problem with the end of life mode.

As Tracey said, if you need both the atria and ventricles paced, your pacer will do what it's supposed to do.

A call to Medtronic should relieve your mind but please don't be afraid of this. Your pacemaker will not suddenly stop and you will have it replaced in plenty of time.

Hope this helps.
My very best to you,
Gellia

Me too

by ElectricFrank - 2009-10-14 12:10:43

I have the same pacemaker and about the same battery predictions. I discussed it with the cardiologist at my last office checkup and let him know that since I do a lot of exploring in the back country, I can't risk being caught at 10,000 feet with a 65 fixed HR. His response was "we never let it get to that. It is only intended as an emergency fall back".

You have the right idea in calling Medtronic. I see from your profile that you are into camping so make it clear that you aren't always in easy reach of an ER. Actually, a HR of 65, provided your heart is in otherwise good shape will handle ordinary activities pretty well. But, it wouldn't make for a good experience to have to hike even a mile or two back to camp.

good luck and let us know what happens.

frank

lots of good info

by jessie - 2009-10-15 04:10:50

this is lots of good info to store away. good luck smitty and frank jessie

You know you're wired when...

Intel inside is your motto.

Member Quotes

Do feel free to contact the manufacturer of your device. I have found them to be quite helpful when I have had questions and concerns.