HELP... Health Question.

[Von Bickley]

Had another stress test to-day. Doctor thinks I should have a defibrillator implant (ICD). Does anyone have any information about implantable defibrillators and power tools? Any information will be appreciated. I know that technology has came a long way.

Thanks for any info.....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Von..............Contact your doctor and ask him what brand and model number he's wants to install. Then contact the manufacturer. I could be wrong....but I suspect there shouldn't be a problem. But........Contact the manufacturer...explain why you are inquiring....see what they say.......Good luck Von! You're in my thoughts and prayers!

[Mark Rios]

Von, I teach CPR and First Aid classes for a local hospital to healthcare workers. As part of our training we have speakers come in and lecture us in different subjects. One of these happen to be on implanted cardiac devices. This class was a couple of years ago but, at the time, standard power tools, including woodworking or other machines of this type, weren't a concern. In fact, I believe that the current trend in cardiac devices is designing them toward being LESS susceptible to EMF's and microwaves and such. When we train healthcare workers to use automatic defibrillators we teach them to ignore any implants, other than not placing a pad directly on an implant. Any adverse (or non-adverse) effects that may happen to the implant is addressed after the patient is stabilized.

HOWEVER, AS KEN MENTIONS, THE BEST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO DISCUSS ALL OF YOUR TOOL USAGE CONCERNS (and any other concerns) WITH YOUR DOCTOR. Cardiac implant surgeons keep very up-to-date on all aspects of the devices they implant. Your doctor will have any information on your concerns that you may have and will be able to instruct you accordingly.

[Dennis Peacock]

Von,

You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Call them as Ken has suggested and get yourself educated before the proceedure takes place.

[Jason Matisheck]

I had an ICD installed 4 weeks ago, as well as some other plumbing work. The literature they give you tends to be overly conservative. For example, it recommended against handheld power tools. When I asked the Medtronics representative about that, he scoffed. They are only concerned about really strong electromagnetic fields. They recommend against arc welding. They don't think leaning close to spark plug wiring on a running engine is a good idea. In some cases they recommend against chain saws, though they weren't too worried about my case. So, ask your ICD technician both for general guidelines, as well as any specific equipment you work with. I haven't set off any airport metal detectors, either.

Jason in Reno

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I recall the warnings on Microwave ovens when they were still new. I don't think they bother with those warnings any more, even while MW ovens are made with less metal and less precision than the old Amana Radar-Range and its ilk.


All electriccal devices give off some EMF even light bulbs and flashlights. The amount of EMF is the issue.

Check these sites out:
>>>http://www.lessemf.com/guide.html<<<
>>>http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=EMF+meter&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title<<<
You can get an EMF meter for pretty cheap ranging from $65.00 to a couple hundred.

There are other sites & you can google 'em.
Talk to your MD about the kind and levels of EMF you want to avoid and think about cumulative output from multiple emitters such as when you have more than one thing running at any one time.

Having a meter will help you have a better handle on how you want to manage your exposure.