Welding

Hello,
I have a new PM and need to continue welding. I read that welding should be 24 inches away from PM and if affected, that it is only temporary. How temporary it didn't say.
I want to know if anyone else has a problem welding. I needed the PM because heartbeat dropped to 39 beats/minute shown by holter monitor (much to my surprise).
If and when the therapist cures my shoulder pain, (which he thinks is a pinched nerve), I need to weld some.
Thank you for any input,
Don

5 Comments

Get permission...

by Swedeheart - 2008-04-22 06:04:26

Hello,

I am not sure what type of welding you are doing. I do know that at the Medtronic website in their list of inteferrences they state:

Interference Likely. Using chain saws, arc welding, and industrial equipment that uses large amounts of electricity are not recommended because these can interfere with how a pacemaker works.

I would get permission from your EP Doctor before welding. However, the site doesn't mention oxy/actelyne....

Good luck,

Swedeheart

Post

by DonAllison - 2008-04-26 04:04:17

My last message didn't post but want to thank yall for the input. I found that I won't kill over if I weld and to stay 24" away. I don't plan on doing only what is necessary. I did find out that a lead apron won't help.
It was good to know that my heart would just go back to the slow beat it had before the PM and only temporarily.
Thanks for the advice on how to "search".

Welding also

by JimSz - 2008-05-01 06:05:17

Don,
I've welded with ALL the welding processes and used plasma cutting torches up to 1/4" thick on SS and inconel. I train, coach and consult welding. AND, I often weld to do the "how-to" hands-on part of that work. My work has taken me into a number of different applications and environments, and not even being around a high-freq start on an old-style TIG set-up has affected me. The only time my pacer has been affected by magnetic interference has been when barbers use those little battery-driven clippers around my left ear.

I also weld in my own backyard shop where I worked out guidelines that I use to keep me out of trouble when I am working on projects in my clients shops or jobsites. I'm sure that the Pacemaker Club has a way for us to hook-up if you would like to discuss this in more detail.

By the way, before I went back to doing all this, I contacted my doctor and the technical department of my PM manufacturer, St Jude Medical, to seek their advice and guidelines on this subject . That went a long way in helping me to feel assured that I was heading in the right direction.

Arc Welder

by ju - 2008-06-17 04:06:08

I'm a 38 yr old female living in the UK, and have an "on-demand" pacemaker fitted. I work in a building which has an office block and a separate lab area. In one of the labs there is an Arc Welder. I actually had a funny turn once, when I walked past it when it was being used. I just felt my heart flutter a lot and felt a bit dizzy and nausious. I didn't realise it was the welder at the time, but our Safety & Environment manager checked it out and read up about it. He came across info saying that pacemakers could be affected.

After that my employer (who was AEA Techology at the time), then displayed "pacemaker warning" signs across all their companies in the UK where Arc welders were in Labs as a precautionary measure, to warn pacemaker wearers. I was really impressed.

Take care with welders folks !
Ju

Welding and Pacemaker

by agoss - 2008-06-27 10:06:56

I'm a jeweller but have also done some welding for sculpture. After my pacemaker was put in four years ago, I phoned Medtronic and talked to someone in their technical department who advised against arc welding because of the electro-magnetic interference. However, he did say if it was critical to my business they could give me advice on how to set up a system that would be safe, by shielding cables and so on. I never followed up on that, but appreciated how co-operative they were. I still use oxy-acetylene occasionally, and when I need pieces arc welded, pay someone else to do it.
Andrew

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