Battery

Settings?

by Tracey_E - 2023-12-15 21:23:54

Did they adjust your settings last time? Battery life is calculated by the settings at the time of the interrogation. 
 

How much we pace is only a small part of battery life. It's also how much juice it takes to get the heart to beat, the condition and position of the leads, scar tissue, safety margins, the extra bells and whistles that we use. Ask if any of that has changes.
 

Ask if the condition of your leads has changed. That can cause a drop. 

Settings?

by jennk - 2023-12-15 21:37:13

Leads were good and no setting changes.

Battery

by piglet22 - 2023-12-16 01:24:08

Battery life estimates are just that 

It's not an exact science because too many factors come into play. Even temperature affects battery output.

What is happening is that a small number, say 3 volts, is measured by the pacemaker electronics. A small change in output, say a few millivolts, can get multipled up, compared with a theoretical battery performance curve and a theoretical remaining lifetime calculated.

It becomes even more difficult at the end of battery life curve where numbers can change rapidly.

Your numbers might seem alarming, but it doesn't surprise me.

A year ago I was told that I would go onto more frequent monitoring (Medtronic), now it seems that doesn't apply any more.

Having had personal experience of battery failure despite frequent monitoring, I don't have a lot of faith in the figures reported on the basis of an annual checkup.

Information can be limited in the UK depending on the health organisation, but I'm hoping that when the next change happens, I get a device that gives me more information on a phone app and keep my own records

You could ask them to check it again or send more downloads if you have a home monitor.

Battery

by jennk - 2023-12-16 04:23:25

Thanks for the extra information. It definitely gave me more information as to what happens with battery life. I'm hoping the drain slows but grateful for the benefits of a PM.