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beachpedro
I am on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker (Boston Scientific). First your pace clinic will have the answers to your questions. Second you can also contact St. Jude and they will have a ton of information on your specific ICD/Pacemaker.
When you have your devices read it will show the batter life and how many years. That is what they use to plan when to replace so it is done prior to battery getting to low.
Also your ICD/Pacemaker when battery gets low starts a beeping sound that you can hear (at least mine did). Your device, like mine, then if not replaced will go into safety mode which is the ICD part will be where battery life is priortized.
You have good questions but your pace clinic or EP or St. Jude can address your specific ICD/Pacemaker device with more precise answers. It is unusally for a lead to break. The can deveolped high inpediance but breaking is not normal. Did you have anything strike your chest? Did the EP or surgeon break the lead?
Replies to "beachpedro I am on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker (Boston Scientific). First your pace clinic will have the..."
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All good information, except the St Jude Pacemaker does not have any kind of alarm when the generator is reaching the end of its charge. The St Jude rep has been great, and he suggests I have him check it every 6 months to determine how much life it has left. BUT, he cautions this is not an exact science. His current estimate, based upon a check up last November, is 3 more years. He and the cardiologist "think" the surgeon "abused" the cable, but why did it take 15 months from implant to failure? and they also "think" the current voltage requirement is due to the cables. Too much "thinking" and not enough conclusions. And so far, St Jude, which is owned by ABBOTT, is being defensive, not helpful. They claim the surgeon is at fault. And no, nothing impacted my chest when it failed.