When Does a Pacemaker Battery Need Replacement?

Posted by AweSamo March 12, 2026
When Does a Pacemaker Battery Need Replacement?

Key Takeaways

  • Pacemaker batteries last five to 10 years before the whole device needs replacing. 

  • If a pacemaker battery is low, it can cause irregular heartbeats or make the heart beat too fast or too slow.  

Pacemaker batteries last between five to 10 years, but when they deplete, the entire device needs replacement. Important warning signs, such as irregular heartbeats and dizziness, signal it’s time for surgery to prevent serious health risks.  

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Why Does a Pacemaker Need Replacement?

Pacemakers are electronic devices implanted in the body. The body environment is generally harsh on electronics due to warm temperatures and body fluids, which would typically damage devices like cell phones or laptops.

Pacemakers are hermetically sealed to keep moisture out, ensuring they remain durable in the body. They are also designed to withstand changes in external and internal (body) temperatures.

The fact that the devices are sealed means that the batteries cannot be removed. Instead, the entire pacemaker is removed and replaced with a new unit. Depending on the device and other factors (such as wear and tear), the lifespan of a pacemaker is between five and 10 years.

The current batteries used in pacemakers are manufactured to a high standard. The premature failure rate of pacemakers is extremely low, generally under 1% after five years of use.

There are currently no pacemakers with removable or rechargeable batteries.

Why Rechargeable Batteries Don’t Work

Rechargeable batteries with wireless chargers were previously used in some pacemaker models but were discontinued. They required several hours of recharging every few days, which was inconvenient and could lead to medical issues if users missed charging schedules.

Additionally, these batteries lasted only about two years, necessitating more frequent surgeries.

When Your Pacemaker Battery Needs Attention 

Your cardiologist will check your pacemaker’s battery during regular appointments and can also monitor it remotely via a phone transmitter or the internet. 

The device typically provides warning signals months before the battery runs out. Some models beep when the battery is low. 

These warnings can give you and your healthcare provider plenty of time to schedule the surgical replacement of your pacemaker well before there is a risk of failure.

What to Expect During Pacemaker Replacement Surgery  

The surgery to replace a pacemaker is usually less complex than the original implantation. The old leads connected to the heart remain in place while the pulse generator and self-contained battery are removed.

Pacemaker replacement is usually performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia (which numbs the surgical site) or general anesthesia (which puts you to sleep). It typically takes two hours to complete.

Procedures can vary, but they tend to follow the same basic steps:

  1. You are attached to several probes that can monitor your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen.
  2. You are given the appropriate anesthesia. Local anesthesia is given by injection around the surgical site. General anesthesia is delivered into a vein through an intravenous (IV) line.
  3. After cleaning the surgical site with an antiseptic, the surgeon will make an incision near the edge of the generator to create a pocket, usually just below the collarbone.
  4. The surgeon disconnects the old generator from the leads and removes it from the body.
  5. A new generator is installed in the pocket, and the leads are reattached.
  6. The surgical team checks that the new device is operational and connects remotely to external monitors.
  7. The surgeon finally closes the incision (typically with dissolvable stitches) and bandages the wound.

You are then wheeled to a recovery room and monitored until the effects of the anesthesia have worn off.

You will be asked to return for a follow-up visit. If non-dissolvable stitches are used, they will need to be removed in seven to 10 days.

How to Recognize Pacemaker Failure Symptoms

A low pacemaker battery typically doesn’t cause total failure, but it can lead to malfunctions like irregular heartbeats, dizziness, or fatigue.

A 2020 study published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders reported that 31% of pacemaker users experienced symptoms when a battery needed replacement.

In the unlikely event a pacemaker fails, it needs to be treated immediately. If not, the results can be devastating, leading to atrial defibrillation (rapid, irregular heartbeat), coronary thrombosis (a blood clot in a heart artery), myocardial infarction (heart attack), and cardiac arrest (when your heart stops beating).

Call 911 if you experience signs of a failing pacemaker, such as:

  • Sudden lightheadedness or fainting
  • Chest pain with weakness, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting
  • Trouble breathing
  • Heart palpitations (skipped heartbeats)
  • Sudden slower or faster heartbeats
  • Constant twitching of the chest or abdominal muscles

A low battery is only one cause of pacemaker failure. Others include loose leads, a change in your heart condition, or an electromagnetic pulse from a power generator.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Gignolani E, Goldhaber JI, Marban E. Next-generation pacemakers: from small devices to biological pacemakers. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2018 Mar;15(3):139–50. doi:10.1038/nrcardio.2017.165

  2. Rajaeeefard A, Ghorbani M, Baigi MAB, Tabatabae H. Ten-year survival and its associated factors in the patients undergoing pacemaker implantation in hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences during 2002 – 2012. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015 Nov;17(11):e20744. doi:10.5812/ircmj.20744

  3. Malllela VS, Ilankumaran V, Rao NS. Trends in cardiac pacemaker batteries. Indian Pacing Electrophysiol J. 2004 Oct 1;4(4):201-12.

  4. Takeuchi T, Yui H, Yui C, et al. Reimplantation of a pacemaker into a subpectoral pocket via the lateral approach in collaboration with plastic surgeons. Intern Med. 2020 Apr 1;59(7):967–70. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.3979-19

  5. Liu J, Wen L, Yao S, Zheng P, Zhao S, Yang J. Adverse clinical events caused by pacemaker battery depletion: two case reports. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. 2020;20(1). doi:10.1186/s12872-020-01622-x

Additional Reading

  • Tracy CM, Epstein AE, Darbar D, et al. 2012 ACCF/AHA/HRS Focused Update of the 2008 Guidelines for Device-based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: a Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation 2012; 126:1784.
Richard N. Fogoros, MD

By Richard N. Fogoros, MD

Richard N. Fogoros, MD, is a retired professor of medicine and board-certified in internal medicine, clinical cardiology, and clinical electrophysiology.

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