defribs

Question? Is it safe for a person with a Pacemaker to ever have a defib used on them - Im thinking overzealous people who may not recognise betweena weak pulse and no pulse!

3 Comments

Yes and No

by pacemaker writer - 2010-03-28 08:03:04

I don't know the official medical answer, but I can tell you what pacemaker companies would likely say:

If you are ever to the point that you need emergency external defibrillation (the kind of thing where the medic yells "clear!" and slaps these big paddles on your chest), you are in a potentially life-threatening situation. In such a case where you cannot speak for yourself and the people around you know to use an external defibrillator, you have bigger problems than saving your pacemaker.

An external defibrillator puts out a lot of voltage (more than an implantable defibrillator). And, no, that jolt of electricity is not good for your pacemaker!

But if you're ever in a situation where it's a choice between saving your life and saving the pacemaker, guess which draws the short straw? The pacemaker!

External defibrillation pretty much guarantees that you'd need a new device and if you needed defibrillation, you'd probably get an ICD!

defib

by cfritza - 2010-03-29 03:03:28

Hi Sparky,
If you need to be defib'd yes they can. I read an article ( am a RN) it was written for the medical professional caring for people with pacemakers and it said yes someone with a PM can be defib'd and went on to tell how to use it etc. So yes you can. I was curious myself about that after my PM.

My Dr says yes

by Linky - 2010-04-02 07:04:04

Hi

Each year when I travel for my check up I always have some more questions (even going on 7 yrs now) for my top Dr. I actually asked him this & he said yes they can use the defib because as he said if it gets to the stage you need defib the pacemaker is out of the equation anyways. I asked a Senior Paramedic (Ambulance officer in Australia) what should I do being in my 30's to show I have a PM in case I ever was unconscious etc & needed urgent medical attention. He said it is a huge help to them if we wear an identifying medic altert tag on a necklace, bracelet etc & in our wallet to make sure it is the first thing they will see if they open it up to get our name etc. Hope this helps & I hope you never have to find out what would happen!
Cheers
Linky

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