Electric shock

I am 21 years old and I have a PM renewal in July '09.
I had some problems with my cars battery so i tried to fix it on my own and while i was trying, i accidentally touched on the engine block and i had a electric shock.
After this happened, i feel a little bit of lackness in my pulse rythms from PM. I am really scared for a shortcut that occured during that shock..
Does this mean the nodes could have been damaged and i need another surgery for a new node plantation OR could it be solved with a simple fix up by the company??
If anyone could answer me back ASAP i would be thankfull because i m really scared of smthing happened..

4 Comments

get it checked out

by golden_snitch - 2009-12-25 05:12:52

Hi!

With a pacer you are not allowed to/should not bend over a car's engine when it's running as this can cause interferences with the pacer. If that's what you did while tried to fix the battery and you are still having arrhythmia, I would suggest to get the pacer checked as soon as possible.

Best wishes
Inga

Electric Shock

by SMITTY - 2009-12-25 11:12:17

Hello Abeto,

First, my advice is calm down and stop worrying. It is very unlikely that you have harmed your pacemaker.

We are cautioned about getting to close to a car engine or some of its components while the engine is running because of the electromagnetic field (EMF) that may be created by some of these that are located in the engine compartment. These include the alternator/generator or the engine electrical system. The strength of EMF from these is usually very low and even if one were to cause an upset in your pacemakers normal operation the pacemaker should return to normal operation when you moved away from the EMF.

You say your received a shock when you touched something on the engine. About the only thing, that I know of that could shock you is the electrical current going to a spark plug. You could contact this at the distributor or at a spark plug wire and yes the shock would be considerable. However, unless that electrical current was delivered directly to your pacemaker it is not going to harm the PM.

My guess is that if you touched whatever with the hand or arm that is close to your PM your very rapid movement in getting that limb away from the shock source could possibly and I repeat possibly, but not likely, cause you to disturb one of the leads, which has resulted in the disturbance to your heart rhythm. But that would be only if you are still experiencing an irregular heart rhythm.

If your heart rhythm has returned to normal, I say don't worry about it anymore. If your heart rhythm is still irregular, then see your doctor and get a PM checkup. A checkup can determine if your PM has a problem or if a lead is the cause of your problem. But I think the possibility of your needing another pacemaker because of this incident is zero.

Good luck,

Smitty

Hey

by abeto - 2009-12-26 06:12:49

Hey Everyone

Thanks a lot for your replies i trully appreciate them. I actually went to hospital today to check my PM and they said there is nothing to worry about.

As a matter of fact i ve got the chance to ask some questions to St. Jude Medical's(The brand of PM) rep about these kind of complications. He said there is nothing to worry about these kind of complications unless PM has been under the effect of a really big magnetic field. This can cause an incredible increase in the resistance of the electrodes which needs to be overcomed by high voltage through the battery. The worst case for this scenario is that when the voltage increases the life of the battery decreases and a renewal surgery could appear. But newly manufactured PMs (2 to 3 years old) are protected by a safety shield which prevents the harmful damages to the electrodes and to the battery itself so there is nothing to worry about, except getting into a really big magnetic field.

Thanks a lot for your replies again. I just had a small talk and thats all I got for today but if I hear anything I ll let you know.

I wish everyone good luck..

Hi welcome!

by tcrabtree85 - 2009-12-26 12:12:47

I am young also 24. I know that feeling you are talking about but don't worry so much. If you would like to talk more on aim or fb just let me know.
I suggest if you feel not a normal heart beat still to get in and have a pm check.

I wish you luck.

Tammy

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