Bob Zinck wrote:

One of the problems with a pacemaker are warnings re the use of stick or mig
electric welders.
The cardiologists see non-commital on this . Does anyone know of any
protective clothing, e.g. metal or lead apron, that would allow some limited
welding. Any help would be much appreciated as a farmer, I sometimes need to
stick a couple pieces together antil the pros can do it.


Well, first you need to check what sort of device you have, and what the
specific problem
it is there to treat. If it is a plain pacer, with no defibrillation
capability, and your
problem is just plain slow hearbeat, then it is pretty likely the worst
the pacer could
ever do is shut off. They are supposed to shut off when an external
defibrillator
is used, then swich back on some short time after the defibrillator is
done blasting
you. If the pacer is DESIGNED to tolerate the use of a defibrillator
(which it
definitely IS) this is a WAY more severe electrical current through the body
(several amps at 1000+ volts for milliseconds) than any welder could
possibly
deliver. The magnetic field of the welder is fairly strong, but it
isn't as massive
as a lot of other things, unless you are welding a part that is resting
on your chest
(not too likely). Anyway, in the case of a pacer shutting off, your
heart will slow
down, and you might faint. This would not be good when handling a welding
torch, and if you were in a position where falling could cause more
injury, then
you'd want to avoid such positions.

Anyway, I tend to be a bull about this sort of scare-mongering, like the
fast food
restaurants that have labels on the doors warning pacemaker-equipped
people to
not even enter the building. What I'd do is have somebody standing by
who was
instructed on how to make the welder safe (turn it off) and such
details, and then
go for it, knowing that the worst likely outcome would be fainting or
lightheadedness.

Now, if the device is actually an internal defibrillator or other device
to prevent/
correct heart arrythmias, that is another story entirely, and you don't
want to risk
driving one of these crazy, or having it shut off just when you need it
most.

Jon