I recently had a pacemaker for my heart implanted. I know that this subject has been covered before, but I thought I'd update you all with the info I have been given. Although my cardiologist didn't think I should continue welding, I had to find out for sure. My pacemaker is manufactured by Medtronics, the outfit that currently is the most widly used pacemaker. The Medtronics rep was at my cardiologists office and so I asked him. He didn't know but called the company. I spoke directly to the head engineer. He told me that the company policy was no, it was not recommended. He went on to say that with sufficient safeguards he felt that there would be no problems. He offered the following suggestions. #1 Avoid unecessary arcs. Like when you have a hard time getting a good start when stick welding. #2 Keep your cables twisted together. #3 Keep your ground as close as possible to your weld. #4 Avoid welding in an enclosed area, such as a truck body, enclosed tank, etc. #5 Never lay the cables across your body. #6 When possible, keep the weld piece between you and the welder. There ya have it, just as it was given to me. One other note, He advised me against leaning across a running engine, at least with the hood up. I was very happy to find out that my job and my hobby could still be pursued. Fred
Unless you want to have your pacemaker go nuts and likely just quit working, avoid welding with or even being around a machine with high frequency for welding aluminum. I'd say the same for a high frequency arc start TIG. I teach at a trade school, we had a shop employee get a pacemaker. The prep shop was right next to the aluminum welding lab where high frequency TIG was done. He had to transfer to another job in another part of the school.
When I was a kid we had some bad*** bulls. I was told they would kill you. if you messed with them. Then I heard about bull fighting. I guess it takes all kinds. I have a cousin who does body work. He has a kid cut his gr***. Someone asked him why he didn't cut his own gr***. He said, "I make more an hour than I pay him to cut the gr***." It's not my call, but if there was a chance of getting shocked, I wouldn't touch a live wire, nor would I weld if I had a pacemaker. I'd get someone else to do it. There is a thing called transcendence: if you reach a certain level you can look back and see that life is precious and you can get beyond yourself, other things take the place of those you once thought were important. This too shall p***.
Hmm Ever done anything dangerous or exciting in your life? can't be a stick in the mud all your life. Heck you could be sitting in your favorite chair one day and a plane could fall out of the sky and all over! live life, take a few chances have some fun.
That makes no sense, he got a pacemaker so that he would stay alive, not take a chance on killing himself so he could join 2 chunks of steel together.
RE: #2 Keep your cables twisted together. I always thought it was best to NOT have your cables twisted together. In any case, common sense seems to suggest that if you have a pacemaker it's not healthy to weld, except for gas welding.
I've had my Medtronics pacemaker for ten years now. It does not have a defibrillator built in and only kicks in when my heart rate drops below 60 beats per minute. That being said here is my expierence. I have done welding several times but I don't have a large welder IE: 220 VOLT. I have a small wire feed mig welder (110 volt) with gas. I've never expierenced any problems. I was told the newer pacemakers have better shielding against RF (radio frequency) and small welders probably won't cause any problems. The biggest thing to avoid is magnetic fields which basically shut down the PM. You have probably expierenced what that feels like when you have your PM checked when they put the magnet on it. Not a feeling that I like but when the magnet is removed everything goes back to normal. I've also expierenced a couple of electric shocks from spark plugs and 110 house current but no noticable after effects from either one.
dude i knew got a pace maker doc told him the field from welding would mess it up no more arc welding he sold his welders and gas welded after that
Sort of a related question. If I had a TIG setup in the garage is there a chance I could muss up the TV or computer if all three are in use at the same time? Reason I ask, when I drive up to the local welding shop the car radio goes nuts within 20 feet of the shop.
happens to my shop radio everyday,, when I fire up the blue magic sparky machine, I just shut the tunes off. However, you can listen to cd-s with no problems at all.
To be truthful, the engineer and I only talked about mig welding. I figure that when it comes to the workings of the specific pacemaker that I have, the head engineer would be more knowedgeable than the cardiologist. Although I am not back to work yet, I will be welding when I return. The engineer did state that the RF shielding was far better than in years past. I would be hesitant about stick welding, though.
When my Dad got his pacemaker he came into the shop to see what I was up to. I was welding (TIG) and neither of us even thought about it. Well, I started welding, he leaned over to see and the thing skipped a couple of beats. He was lucky, and never came around the welded again. Sort of funny related story. He later had to upgrade to a defibrillator version. When they put it in the Doc told him initial settings were only a guesstimate and it might have to be adjusted. Well the next day he's sitting on the toilet and the thing goes off. It was set too high and flat knocked him out, and right off the toilet! My poor mom hears a thud in the bath, and goes in to find Dad flat on the floor, out of it, with his pants around his ankles. He was OK, but they went right back and had that ****er adjusted!
We have a sign outside the shop door for just such a reason. I warns pace maker folks about the high intensity RF radiation in the shop. And remember, that's more than just TIG welders, magnetos also produce this. So if you're around a buddies car, or at the drag strip, be warned!!!
You should see what happens when you tig weld alum. near a C.N.C. machining center that`s running.......Ooooooops. Pricey lesson
I'm an engineer with RF experience, who has to shield sensitive ****og circuits from RF interference. The main problem is that any sort of spark powered by the energy put out by a welder is a major source of RF power, thousands of watts. A spark gap forms part of a resonant circuit, which then radiates that energy into the air in a very effective manner. Early radio was almost exclusively transmitted by spark gaps. The big problem with spark gaps is that the energy is fairly broad and unpredictable in bandwidth and frequency. RF shielding is fairly frequency specific, especially in small devices like a pacemaker, and the pacemaker has a few sensitive ****og inputs that have to monitor your heartbeat while being outside the shielded area. This protection is usually in the form of diodes that short the extra energy out and turn it into heat. Those diodes can only take a certain amount of energy for a certain amount of time before they burn out. With that much RF energy around you, at the very least you are causing the pacemaker to lose signal on its input, so it may stop doing anything until the RF is removed. At the worst, you confuse the thing into shocking you on the off-beat, or fry the rf protection diodes or the sensitive circuitry that monitors your heart. You may be safer if you could wear a conductive vest or something, but there's really no way anybody is going to guarantee that a pacemaker is going to survive the high fields of an arc welding rig. If you really want to keep welding and not fry your "ignition module", gas weld.
I also have a Medtronic pacemaker defibilator. When I got mine I also got in touch with the engineer before I left the hospital. He said no arc welding. I said I use mig not near as much amps. He said 125 amps max. I`ve been welding sheet metal ever since. I get checked at the hospital every 3 months and they can tell if it ever spikes. None. I am also monitored at night right by the bed through a phone line. They did say not to lean over an engine while it is running. And stay away from anything that is electro magnetic. Do not use a chain saw, it can change the rythem of the pacemaker. My pacemaker controls my heart all the time because one half my heart is non functioning since 03. Gene
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