Patent ID: 7263449

Claim:
A method for powering an implantable medical device, comprising the steps of: a) providing a first electrochemical cell and a second electrochemical cell, each comprising a lithium-containing anode and a cathode comprising an active material selected from the group consisting of silver vanadium oxide, copper silver vanadium oxide, copper vanadium oxide, manganese dioxide, titanium disulfide, copper oxide, copper sulfide, iron sulfide, iron disulfide, carbon, fluorinated carbon, and mixtures thereof activated with a nonaqueous electrolyte, wherein the cathode active material of the first and second cells is the same; b) discharging the first and second cells during a burn-in when they are essentially in a freshly built state to each deliver a first pulse or a first pulse train under a load, each pulse being of electrical current of a significantly greater amplitude than that of a pre-pulse current immediately prior to the pulse; c) recording a pulse minimum voltage (P min ) and a final voltage (P last ) during the first pulse discharges prior to the load being removed; d) calculating P last −P min for the first cell and then for the second cell; e) determining that during further discharge there will not be any significant difference in the voltage delay performance between the first and second cells when a difference between the result of the calculation for the first cell and the result of the calculation for the second cell is about 20 mV or less, and wherein when the difference is greater than about 20 mV, determining that there will be a significant difference in the voltage delay performance between the first and second cells; and f) when the first cell is determined not to be significantly different than the second cell in terms of its discharge performance, incorporating the first cell into the implantable medical device as a power source.