We drove down to Salida a couple of days ago, so Doug could have his pacemaker checked. A technician comes from Colorado Springs cardiology to Salida. Doug didn't even have to take off his shirt. The tech slung what looked like a large computer mouse over Doug's shoulder so it was resting over the pacemaker, put EKG type leads on Doug's wrists and ankles, and turned on his computer.
Evidently the pacemaker holds up to 18 months of information - it records whenever it is pacing. Turns out that Doug's heart needs the pacemaker 25% of the time. Whenever his heart rate goes below 55, the pacer kicks in. I asked what would be happening if Doug didn't have the pacemaker -- the tech said that Doug would probably be passing out at times. Good thing he has one!
The pacer battery looks like it has 7 to 8 more years of life left; it only uses a tiny bit of charge each time it fires for a fraction of a second. Sure glad we have modern technology -- can you imagine life without batteries?
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