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New battery chemistry allows more power in a smaller unit
EaglePicher’s Lithium Carbon Monofluoride battery also sends an alert when its power is depleting.
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A new battery technology with end-of-life capability can accurately detect battery depletion six months in advance and communicate the information to physicians and users.
The Lithium Carbon Monofluoride (EaglePicher Medical Power) battery can be used to power medical devices, such as telemetry-capable pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, as well as drug and body fluid pumps and monitors. According to a press release, the chemical composition of the battery allows higher energy density, enabling a longer life for the battery while maintaining its small size. The technology is available in configurations ranging from less than 350 mA hour to 10 A hour.
According to Gregg C. Bruce, PhD, chief scientist for EaglePicher, the added power housed within the smaller casing could have benefits for patients who use the batteries for their implanted devices.
“One beneficial aspect is that since we have the ability to pack more energy into the same volume, the device can remain implanted for a longer period, so the patients do not have as many explants or replacement procedures,” Bruce told Cardiology Today. “That would reduce the number of surgeries. The other important parameter that this cell chemistry allows is that it is very predictable, so the doctors will be given a warning six months before they have to replace the battery.”
The type of warning that the battery would transmit, according to Bruce, varies with the type of device that the battery is powering.
“When the voltage of the battery cell gets to a certain limit, the device communicates back to the doctor’s office,” Bruce said. “How it is used depends on the device manufacturers. This can happen when patients come in for routine checkups, or if the device can communicate over the phone, it would warn the doctor that the battery is getting close to the end of its useful life.” – by Eric Raible