Anyone out there Heliarc welding with a pace maker? My doctor tells me its ok to Mig weld but not Heliarc. I know you youngsters don't have this problem. But some of us older fellas do.
So you are going to trust your life to an unknown guy on a message board and ignore your doctors advice?
Try this link; http://www.pacemakerclub.com/public/jpage/1/p/story/a/storypage/sid/17894/content.do You should also ask for a proper medical opinion based on your own particular cir***stance before you do TIG welding.
Ain't it the truth,,my initials are D.R. but I ain't a DR.,I believe I would abstain from welding period,, if I had a pace maker,,btw,,I always heard you should stay away from microwave ovens. HRP
Probably OK with lift-start (no high frequency) but for the love of God, man, find out from your doctor!! And good luck!!
Absolutely not. You don't mess around with a pacemaker. We had a guy at work who had one and we wear name tags that have magnets to hold them on our shirts. As the day went on he started going downhill and eventually he had to sit down and was really weak. They then figured out it was the magnet screwing up the pacemaker and once they took it off of him he started to come back to life. Our Tig welder wiped out our shop stereo and makes our flourescent lights flash, so you can imagine what they would do to your pacemaker. Listen to your Doctor, not internet "experts." Don
according to Medtronic's website , they do not recommend any welding http://www.medtronic.com/patients/bradycardia/living-with/daily-living/index.htm http://www.medtronic.com/wcm/groups...s/do***ents/electromagnetic-compatibility.pdf
Here are some other things you should avoid: 1. . Avoid strong magnetic fields The magnets used in MRI are so strong in instances it can interfere with the proper functioning of the pacemaker. Therefore these patients are unable to undergo a MRI test and should resort to alternate, non-magnetic means of imaging. 2. Avoid electrical fields Almost all electrical devices exert an electrical field around itself. High powered instruments such as micro wave ovens, cookers, hair dryers, power tools, TV and radio as well as vacuum cleaners are more prone to generate such impulses. It is possible that these electronic fields might interfere with the pacemaker. Therefore, if you can feel the pulse changing or any discomfort while operating such instruments, it's better to avoid and seek medical advice. 3. Cellular phones Being in a communication era, cellular phones have become an indispensable commodity. But, the signals generated by even a phone that is turned off can interfere to an extent with a pacemaker. Therefore following steps are advice in using a cellular device. a) Don't carry the phone in the pocket near the chest b) Place the phone in the ear furthest to the pacemaker implant If a patient with a pacemaker adheres to the above guidelines as well as adhere to the schedule in monitoring of the pacemaker, these devices can last long and function properly as well. Don
In the 80s using a Lincoln Tig Welder made the prototype Pro Bal / Stewart Warner balancer lose its mind from quite a distance away. I think they tried lining the control box with "mu" metal or something. http://www.lessemf.com/mag-shld.html
Yes, by all means follow your doctors advice. By the same token, investigate any sources of information you can on the subject, research studies or any other reputable info you can find. Also search out any other pacemaker patients who have welded with TIG. I know there are some out there. The modern TIG machines ( new inverters ) have very little high frequency leakage and are unlikely to cause any issues. But again err on the side of caution. In the past with the old square wave machines, whenever we demonstrated aluminum welds to the students we could wrap the torch lead around a 4' flourescent light tube and have it light up from the high frequency leakage. As well some people experienced slight heating up of medical implanted metal objects like plates or screws. Now with our moder Miller Dynasty machines we can no longer light up flourescent tubes or anything like that. If there is any high frequency leakage it is minimal. Another advantage to the new machines is that they no longer mess up electronics like the old ones did.
Go for it, whats the worst that can happen....... Think of is as adjusting the timing? Either gonna ping a lil or diesel....Kidding, seek professional help
"Our Tig welder wiped out our shop stereo and makes our flourescent lights flash, so you can imagine what they would do to your pacemaker. Listen to your Doctor, not internet "experts." Mine takes out the telephones/com system for the entire complex, as soon as the frequency comes on. The phones start ringing and buzzing, I have to warn the office people when I plan on using the TIG My plasma cutter screws up the Bose radio
contact your doctors sales represen***ive for your pacemaker. you should have been given a 1-800 number for the medical device company for such questions.
My father had his pacemaker installed several years ago. He has recently gotten back into building and both he and I were concerned about mig welding and pacemakers. Here is what he found. Doctors are for the most part are unqualified to make the decision for you. They put them in and monitor them but they don't build them. There are hundreds of pacemaker types out there and hundreds of welders of different specifications. He went to the manufacturer of the welder (Lincoln) explained the situation, and requested all of the specs for the electronics and machine. Then to the specific manufacturer of the pacemaker and provided the "technical department" with Lincolns do***ents. With dads pacemaker and his welder, the answer was "go right ahead, and don't burn yourself". They also reccomend wearing long gloves, long dry shirts or welding sleeves, and keeping the ground as close to the gun as possible. Do your research. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can't. ETA: Same process with plasma cutter.
My neighbor has a pacemaker. When he needs something welded he calls me over and leaves the shop while I'm welding. His doctor told him no welding period. Maybe I'll show him that previous post!
My friend Glenn had a bad ticker and the doctor told him he needed a pace maker, but he couldn't weld. Glenn made a decision to persue his love of building and driving cars. He built a Lakester that, driven by his daughter Michelle, set a Worlds Record @ Bonneville. He died a couple of years ago and I sure miss him. Maybe he would still be with us, wearing a pace maker if he had done as ******* Ford"s Dad
My father was a welder by trade. When he got his pacemaker the doc said NO WELDING of any kind. That was 5 years ago. I sure do miss having him as a welder but it is great to still have him around as a dad. Listen to the doc, its not worth taking a chance.
Follow what ******* ford says. The manufacturer will give you the best info. The microwave oven thing was for the old pacemakers back in the 70's. It depends greatly on why you have a pacemaker, if it constantly needs to pace then the more cautious or you may reconsider. Modern pacemakers have data recorders. If you do weld, keep track of the day and time, so that the next time it is read, you can ask the tech about data for that specific day and see if anything looks out of p[lace.
I opened this thread with great excitement, i thought it was gonna be a tech thread! LOL! Seek professional advice, it's not worth your life.
Since the serious stuff has been discussed we can now move on to the silly I don't think a pacemaker would have enough output to heli arc weld with
Iam with you blue one and it sounds like he wount be able to weld with out it. sorry that was bad . Dont take any chances and you can always say I could have welded it better that that.
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