diff --git a/db.php b/db.php
index 6643331..21bff80 100644
--- a/db.php
+++ b/db.php
@@ -1402,8 +1402,8 @@ public function should_mysql_ping() {
 		// MySQL server has gone away
 		if ( isset( $this->dbhname_heartbeats[ $this->dbhname ]['last_errno'] ) &&
 			HYPERDB_SERVER_GONE_ERROR == $this->dbhname_heartbeats[ $this->dbhname ]['last_errno'] ) {
-			unset( $this->dbhname_heartbeats[ $this->dbhname ]['last_errno'] );
-			return true;
+			$this->disconnect( $this->dbhname );
+			return false;
 		}
 
 		// More than 0.1 seconds of inactivity on that dbhname
@@ -1556,7 +1556,20 @@ public function ex_mysql_ping( $dbh ) {
 			return @mysql_ping( $dbh );
 		}
 
-		return @mysqli_ping( $dbh );
+		// Deprecated: Function mysqli_ping() is deprecated since 8.4
+		// The mysqli.reconnect php.ini setting had been ignored by the mysqlnd driver, and was removed as of PHP 8.2.0.
+		if ( version_compare( PHP_VERSION, '8.2.0', '<' ) ) {
+			return @mysqli_ping( $dbh );
+		}
+
+		$res = $this->ex_mysql_query( 'SELECT /* hyperdb::ex_mysql_ping */ 1', $dbh );
+		if ( is_object( $res ) && 1 === $res->num_rows ) {
+			// The "ping" query was enough, the database connection is still there.
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		// Let the hyperdb logic reconnect us.
+		return false;
 	}
 
 	public function ex_mysql_affected_rows( $dbh ) {