Welding with a heart pacemaker

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Why would you ask that important question here? My best friends son is a Medtronic rep and RN and since I welded a lot in the past and may get a pacemaker in the future I was interested.

The right asnswer is to ask your cardiologist! There are some devices that are OK, some that are known to not be OK and some that are sketchy. Have the conversaation with your cardiologist while there is time to shop for a manufacturer!

When did you sign a pledge to follow advice given here? I know that I never did. Anyone???

 

[Steve in VA]

NAH, Kroil is better.

Kroil rocks.

 

[cjunrau]

He asked here because he wants real info. Doctors do not know everything. As is evident by reading all the replies. some say no way, some say only if, some say go ahead. That is what I got when I asked a doc for exact information. He gave me a lot of I do not know answers. Reason being everyone is different and they can often not prove that something effected something else. They only assume it may have. Each person has to weigh the risk vs reward for themselves. some win some don't. each to his own.

 

[504]

My experience with pacemakers is that my wife is on her third one,#4 in another year. The doctors don’t install them and set them up. medtronics technicians do most of the grunt work. They are the ones to ask in a quiet corner. They know a lot more about the pacemakers than the doctors. You know about what you do every day not so much when you just hook up a couple of wires and collect the big check at the end of the week my wifes cardiologist doesn’t do surgery but he’s watching the screen while it’s going on.

 

[scootergmc]

A doctor said, "You have a 100% chance of dying. Our advice doesn't change that. Do what you want."

 

[Dave G9N]

I was on my first Destroyer when the book came out, I was an STG2 at the time, Jonesy, in the book/movie was an STS2. Being Sonar Techs the book went through our division in about 2 weeks.

The book was more accurate than the movie. Tried showing it to the SO as she has never seen it, IMO it hasn't stood the test now time well.

There is some wearable tech for welders with pacemakers out there. There are also some guidelines for welding with a pacemaker form Boston Scientific and Biology Insights.

I talked to John Gresham (not Grisham), who worked for Tom Clancy, on a flight from BWI to MHT. He introduced himself and talked about red October and where Clancy had gotten a lot of the information in the book. He said that being an obscure author with a name that is one letter off from a well known author makes for some embarrassing requests for book signing.

I had not intended to post any of this. When I saw that Biology insights mentioned that wearing an apron wouldn't do any good, I searchhed online for wearable EMI shielding on the off chance that there was something out there. I started with a stupid joke about making a suit of Mu Metal plate armor and a set of copper chainmail long johns. You can pick up an 18 gage steel breastplate on Amazon for $150. Low carbon steel isn't a bad magnetic shield. It could work, but how to test it without killing yourself in the process, I don't know.

 

[NoDakInMN]

My experience with pacemakers is that my wife is on her third one,#4 in another year. The doctors don’t install them and set them up. medtronics technicians do most of the grunt work. They are the ones to ask in a quiet corner. They know a lot more about the pacemakers than the doctors. You know about what you do every day not so much when you just hook up a couple of wires and collect the big check at the end of the week my wifes cardiologist doesn’t do surgery but he’s watching the screen while it’s going on.

The Medtronics guys were the ones who told me they didn't know if welding would affect it, but were also the ones who set off the alarm so I knew what sounded like.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

The Medtronics guys were the ones who told me they didn't know if welding would affect it, but were also the ones who set off the alarm so I knew what sounded like.

Mine is Medtronics too. I talked to the tech briefly after the install but don't know how much of the procedure he did. My head was draped, couldn't see a thing. The hookup is the easy part. the doc has to thread the wires into the right location then test the connection to the heart.

 

[Mark-Mi]

My heart doctor told me I may need a heart pacemaker. I read arc welding with a pacemaker isn't advisable. Anyone here have a pacemaker. Do you arc weld with it? How about mig welding. Stan

Good question Chief, I'm glad you asked.
My cardiologist has suggested I may need one here in the future. Asked me what I thought about it. I asked him if I could weld with it. Told me he didn't know. Cardiologist told me no one had asked him that question. Mind you, this is at the major teaching University hospital in Michigan and told me he's never been asked that question.

 

[kencombs]

I was on my first Destroyer when the book came out, I was an STG2 at the time, Jonesy, in the book/movie was an STS2. Being Sonar Techs the book went through our division in about 2 weeks.

The book was more accurate than the movie. Tried showing it to the SO as she has never seen it, IMO it hasn't stood the test now time well.

I bought the book in the airport book store in LGA probably the first week it was available. Finished it on the plane due to a delay at DFW. Gave the book to my daughter that night and Told her you have to read this! She called me from work the next day to say’darn you dad!’ , I got no sleep last night. Couldn’t put it down.

 

[Ray,IN]

My BIL had a pacemaker installed, the surgeon said basically he killed the part of the heart that makes it beat; so carefully make up your mind, as this cannot be reversed. My BIL came home with the pacemaker, calling himself a bionic man..

 

[ss55]

I was just in to see my cardiologist yesterday. I didn't even think to ask if welding with a pacemaker, was harmful . I thought I would mention it here before, I talked to my doctor on my next appointment, to see if anyone here has one. Stan

Now-a-days there is no need to wait for an appointment to ask a doctor a question. Many doctors and clinics have online patient accounts where patients can access their records, schedule appointments, see test results, ask your doctor questions, talk to a nurse over the phone, and to find information without an actual visit or making an appointment. My Chart and Portal are two of the many system names. The Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins Medicine both have very good websites for finding medical information online.

Your pacemaker's manufacturer might also have a similar website for asking questions about your specific pacemaker. I would ask the manufacturer directly if electric welding is safe with your pacemaker. In the past electric die grinders and gas powered string trimmer ignitions were also hazards when wearing a pacemaker. I do not know if that is still true.

From a practical standpoint, in the USA a person can hire a lot of another welder's time for the cost of one ambulance ride or even the co-pay cost if you have good insurance.

 

[Tractorcedric]

My heart doctor told me I may need a heart pacemaker. I read arc welding with a pacemaker isn't advisable. Anyone here have a pacemaker. Do you arc weld with it? How about mig welding. Stan

I have had one for a few years. I was told that I should not weld and should not have a magnetic screwdriver in my bib overhaul pocket either. The key word here is SHOULD not could. The clinic that I go to that monitors my pacemaker has had providers come and go. So I see different ones. Anyway, I moved my magnet screwdriver to my right side pocket and weld when I want to fix something. Just had the pacemaker check up a few days ago and all was good. BUT with that said I bet all pacemakers are different. So go only by what your doctor tells you. I know that having a pacemaker has extended my life and made it better too! 2 cents.

 

[rick n ohio]

My heart doctor told me I may need a heart pacemaker. I read arc welding with a pacemaker isn't advisable. Anyone here have a pacemaker. Do you arc weld with it? How about mig welding. Stan

I have 3 stents and a history of low heart beat in the 40s I was told its a matter of time before I need a pacemaker any welding I may need done would be something minor . I would probably just have a buddy do my welding.

 

[BMHLarry]

Had a pacemaker put in 8years ago now, the year before I had purchased a new Miller stick welder. My first appointment with my cardiologist was a great disappointment when I was told with a pacemaker now, I should do no welding anymore. I lived with this until one Sunday with rain coming over night and nobody around to do a repair, I remembered a friend saying to keep the magnetic field low, keep the ground as close as you can to the weld location. It has work for me. I get this one replaced this August so I will see what happens. My life is 98% depended on every pulse from the pacemaker.

 

[Dave G9N]

Pacemaker Protective Vest?

I finally read the links I posted earlier. They appear to have been written by some combination AI with genuine stupidity. Sorry about that.

"Pacemaker protective vest" is the search string that got some somewhat encouraging results.

I'll give some of the products I found a maybe, but I would want to see some form of independent testing with welding equipment. I can easily make a Faraday cage that will provide 60 db of shielding across a wide range of RF frequencies. It takes a box of screws, some 2x4s and a roll of copper screen. Ok for running shielding effectiveness tests on some components, but it won't help here.

The Medical-Aid Co., Ltd. came up in the search and seemed to have some potentially credible information. They describe a small magnetic shield patch "EMS pad" to be worn under a vest with a conductive mesh. They are also the only ones to use the patch on both front and back of the body. The site is less flashy and more detailed than the others and the details appear to make sense. That is to say plausible, but I would want more information. The mesh will block EMI when configured properly, how much in a vest with arm holes, I don't know. I have only worked with very strong fields and large structures, which are just not the same as PPE. Same principal, but different in detail. It's your funeral, so do your homework and don't take advice from one of us faceless internet experts without a grain of salt.

 

[Non-farmer]

I asked a doc for exact information. He gave me a lot of I do not know answers

And yet I suspect you didn't give him "exact information" about the patient, or the model and manufacturer of the pacemaker. I would sincerely hope no doctor would give a definitive answer about a patient he's never seen and an unspecified medical device.

He might still not have known the answer, but in this scenario, not knowing was guaranteed.

 

[cjunrau]

And yet I suspect you didn't give him "exact information" about the patient, or the model and manufacturer of the pacemaker. I would sincerely hope no doctor would give a definitive answer about a patient he's never seen and an unspecified medical device.

He might still not have known the answer, but in this scenario, not knowing was guaranteed.

I was not talking about pacemaker. I was talking in general. My questions was to my specialist who was supposed to do my rotary cup surgery. I asked a lot of questions and his answers were mostly everyone is different and we don't know. I have asked many people who had the surgery would you do it again and the answers were yes no and maybe equally. So I opted not at this time. Doctors can not guarantee on a lot of things, but they can give very high percentages on some things. So each person needs to think for themselves with as much info from as many sources as they feel they need.

 

[cjunrau]

And yet I suspect you didn't give him "exact information" about the patient, or the model and manufacturer of the pacemaker. I would sincerely hope no doctor would give a definitive answer about a patient he's never seen and an unspecified medical device.

He might still not have known the answer, but in this scenario, not knowing was guaranteed.

I was not talking about pacemaker. I was talking in general. My questions was to my specialist who was supposed to do my rotary cup surgery. I asked a lot of questions and his answers were mostly everyone is different and we don't know. I have asked many people who had the surgery would you do it again and the answers were yes no and maybe equally. So I opted not at this time. Doctors can not guarantee on a lot of things, but they can give very high percentages on some things. So each person needs to think for themselves with as much info from as many sources as they feel they need.

 

[Non-farmer]

I was not talking about pacemaker

Ok.

I read arc welding with a pacemaker isn't advisable.

Imo, the most likely source of good info about this would be the manufacturer of the device. It's a risk that I would think very carefully about, and would want solid info to work with.