HeartWare® Ventricular Assist System Patient Manual
Any of these abnormal behaviors could lead to a critically low battery or possible loss of
power. Batteries that exhibit abnormal behavior must be taken out of service and
replaced.
Similar to the battery in a cell phone, the HeartWare® Batteries lose charge over time. If
a fully charged battery lasts less than 2 hours, take it out of service and replace it with a
new one.
6.3.6 Changing a Battery
Make sure there is a fully‐charged battery available to replace the depleted battery. Disconnect the
depleted battery and replace it with the fully‐charged battery. (See Section 6 .3.1 and Section 6 .3.2
for details on how to connect and disconnect power sources.) After a depleted battery is
disconnected, the "Low Battery" alarm will resolve, as the controller will automatically switch to the
second power source. If the second power source is not connected within 20 seconds, the "Power
Disconnect" message will be displayed on the Controller Display and an alarm will sound. The alarm
will automatically clear when the second power source is connected. When the battery is connected
correctly, the Battery Indicator on the controller should light.
6.3.7 Care of Batteries
Your batteries include many features to make them safe and dependable. However, you must care
for them properly.
Things to do:
1. To preserve battery life, batteries should be stored at room temperature. Protect
batteries from extreme high and low temperatures.
2. Use all of your batteries. There is a serial number on each battery so you can rotate
batteries.
3. Don't leave home without extra, fully charged batteries.
4. Protect the battery connector from moisture, dirt and metal at all times.
5. Handle connectors so as to avoid touching the inside.
6. Batteries should be left in the battery charger and charging when not in use.
7. Rotate the use of your batteries. If you rotate the use of your batteries, you should
get 1 year of battery service.
CAUTION: ALWAYS recharge completely depleted batteries within 24 hours to avoid
permanent battery damage.
Things NOT to do:
1. Avoid leaving the batteries exposed to extreme heat, especially in direct sunlight or in
a closed car in the sun. The temperature can easily reach 60‐65C (140 to 150F)
which can damage the batteries.
2. DO NOT drop the batteries or let them hit hard objects.
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