Magneto interference

Hi PM Pals

I went to the woodshop today to get some timber with Brian. We were looking through the racks to find what we wanted and the woodcutting/planing machine was going. Suddenly I said I gotta get out of here I feel funny in the chest. Brian said the machine had powerful magnetos. It took me all of halof an hour to settle down. Anyone able to help me over this.?

3 Comments

billie

by jessie - 2007-12-14 12:12:19

hi smitty has given good info. it has not affected me yet but i imagine it would shake you up and so try to relax for the rest of the day. jessie merry christmas the two of you jessie

Magneto interference

by SMITTY - 2007-12-14 12:12:41

Hello Blueaustralia ,

Your pacemaker could very well have been affected by one or more of the wood working machines. Any device such as a magneto that generates or consumes electricity will create an electromagnetic field (EMF) which can affect a pacemaker/ICD. The amount of that effect will depend on several factors such as age and/or size of the equipment creating the EMF and the pacemaker as some pacemakers seem to be more susceptible to EMF than others.

Just how the pacemaker is affected can vary. Under certain conditions the EMF can cause a switch to close which will result in the pacemaker going into default mode. This is the same mode of operation the pacemaker switches to when the nurse/technician places a magnet over the PM during a checkup. In this mode the PM accepts on input from the heart but just takes over the function of making the heart beat. I think most of us have felt this change in PM operation when getting a checkup. I know I have and if I were not in a controlled situation like a checkup I would become concerned in a hurry.

The pacemaker which is supposed to check to see if the heart's natural or internal pacemaker has sent an impulse to give a heart beat before it sends one may interpret the EMF as a signal the heart is working and just sit on the sidelines. If the wearer of that PM depends on their PM a high percentage of the time I suspect this would cause a considerable problem as that person would in effect have no functioning PM during the period of exposure to the EMF. Or a strong EMF could simply cause the timing functions of the PM to get out of time and again the normal PM operation would be totally out of sync with the heart.

The good part is that once the person gets away from the EMF the pacemaker should return to normal operation in a few minutes. However, by then it may be so out of sync with the heart it is supposed to be helping, it may take more than a few minutes for all things to normalize. Also, from all I can find, a EMF seldom, if ever, does any permanent harm to the PM. It just upsets its operation while the PM is in the presence of the EMF.

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Smitty

PS: I tried to post this a while ago, and thought I was sucessfull, but it looks like I wasn't. But if a second copy turns up later, it is not because I have lost my last marble.

Tanks PM Pals

by Blueaustralia - 2007-12-17 05:12:55

Thanks Smitty that is exactly how I felt - when you go for a check up and they place the magnet on your shoulder.

Thanks Jessie see general posting

tons of love to all Billie

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