[mrsteveman1]

I don't know much about heart pumps, but I do have an implanted pacer/defibrillator, and I'm currently not too happy with the people who made it.

I've been told by my cardiologist (and engineers working for the manufacturer) that it doesn't "fail safe" if the battery level drops too low to keep the device running (which is inevitable if it isn't replaced after 7-8 years, but it can and sometimes does happen prematurely and without warning).

In that situation, not only can it suddenly become unable to correct an arrhythmia (as expected), it could actually cause one all by itself, or pace above 200BPM for no reason.

No one I've talked to in the healthcare industry seems at all surprised about this for some reason. They just started monitoring it more often the closer it got to the "replace me now" indicator level.