Nuclear-powered pacemaker still going strong after 34 years

It would be great to hear that all medical devices were as efficient at a nuclear-powered pacemaker, but that's generally not the case. This week, a doctor who implanted a patient with a pacemaker with onboard nuclear power said that, after 34 years, the device was still going strong.

For those keeping count, the pacemaker was installed in 1973. Yikes! Although nuclear-powered pacemakers are no longer used, the overall cost of this 34 year-old product was pegged at its original $5,000 price tag, plus $19,000 in follow-up costs since then.

This compares to follow-up costs of nearly $55,000 for current battery-powered pacemakers (which don't last 34 years one one battery).