pacemaker battery life

[Freckles62]

My father inlaw is 82 and had his pacemaker replaced last May. he has since had two strokes and his quality of life is not good. he is living at home with his wife. the docs checked his pacemaker a week ago and when they shut it off his heart would not beat, thus we are told when his battery runs out that will be the end, our choice. The question is: how long can we expect the battery to last and will it slowly go down. we want to keep him around but his and his wifes suffering is aggravated by not knowing.

[ireneo]

My Dad was told it could run 5-6 years if it wasn't pacing the heart too often. The more time it spends pacing, the quicker the battery will run out, just like using a flashlight. Do you have any idea what percentage of the time your father-in-law is being paced? If it's 100% of the time, it may be months then. Not sure of the exact timing. Either way, his wife has time to adjust to the shock of his health decline and decide later. Caring for him at home will be tiring but it will make it easier to let him go when the time is right. We went through that with my Dad.

[Freckles62]

The family has decided no replacement because of the strokes and quality of life, sooo how long will a new baterry since May keep a seemingly inactive heart going?

[Jerry_NJ]

I'm sure there is a normal life expectancy, and I don't have it.  I am very surprised your doctor didn't give you this information... and the option of replacing the battery before it run-downs too low to operate the PM.

Even though I don't have the number, I think the time is years, not days.  So, you should have plenty of time to learn the answer.