How many pacemakers can a person have in a lifetime?

Posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014

Question: How many pacemakers can a person have in a lifetime? I am inquiring about this for my dad who is 73 years old and has his second pacemaker in right now. He has one more year to go on the pacemaker he has and his doctor said that he won't put another one in. My dad has no other ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol that I am aware of it is just basically his heart. Is he just supposed to throw up his hands and die after this pacemaker has run its life or can he have a third pacemaker put in? Could it possibly be that it's just his particular doctor that won't put a third pacemaker in or is it the norm that once a second pacemaker is put in that no more are put in as the general rule of thumb? If he can have another pacemaker put in are there other avenues that I should be pursuing to get him to a doctor who will put in a third pacemaker? I have talked with my dad and he really does want to have another one put in because he and I don't think that it's fair for the doctor to say oh well this is your second pacemaker that is it. What can you tell me? In what ways can you help me with this?

Answered by Dr. Jawahar Ticku (10 hours later)

Brief Answer: Pace Maker Implantation Detailed Answer: Dear XXXX I am firstly surprised that why you have to change the pace makers so soon. one pacemaker lasts much beyond 17yrs. If its battery is exhausted it can be energised from outside. Unless there is a specific contraindication which your doctor only knows new pace maker can always be implanted when the need arises. Your doctor must be having specific reason in saying so that he will not implant another pace maker. Please discuss with the doctor and find the reason of his reluctance. In general, a third pacemaker are implanted in most cases. It is not clear why his doctor mentioned he cannot. You should discuss about the reason with him. At the same time advise your dad to be happy as there will be no problem in putting a new pace maker when the need arises. Truly, Dr. J. Ticku

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad