Annoyed / Frustrated

It's company policy

by crustyg - 2022-03-15 04:10:39

I know for certain that BostonSci have a company policy of not dealing directly with patients - and I believe that this is standard across the industry.

It's infuriating and, for a moment, a little insulting, but it can't be any other way.  The EP-docs are their primary customers, and they would be very upset if someone else (the PM vendors) started talking to their patients 'behind their backs'.

If you have a good relationship with your EP-doc you can probably charm him/her into asking your questions for you.  I have learnt quite a lot more about my device in this way.

Hope that helps.

Thankyou

by mar892ree - 2022-03-15 04:48:44

Hi CrustyG

thanks for your response it's appreciated 

it's probably easier to get an audience with the pope than it is with my consultant! 
The problem is - I'm a fabricator/ welder by trade and will have to return to work within the next 5 weeks or so . The only comment my consultant has made - is he doesn't want me welding ! He admits he knows little more than string sources of magnesium can upset the pacemaker in the short term but when removed from source of interference that it will revert back to program 

The WI ( welding institute) make comment that things should be fine with amperage up to approx 130 amps but I've seen contradicting info that says 160 amps 

So here lays my frustration. People in their ivory towers giving out such helpful information- such as " retrain , diversify " I'm 58 years old and welding and far tissue all I've ever done . Saying that I have a consultant who's advice is a blanket "no " but has no real idea whys he's saying that and a world recognised organisation saying things should be fine within limitations !

Now we have a delevoper / manufacturer/ supplier who won't give advise !!

But what we do have is many people on here who have real life experience of having a pacemaker and continuing to weld - I'm just interested how they got their information or did they just say " to hell with it " I'm carrying on welding 

I hope that someone on here , has possibly got a connection with Boston Scientific and can forward / promote my problem/ dilemma 

regards Mark 

Search and read...

by crustyg - 2022-03-15 10:12:09

You could start with https://www.pacemakerclub.com/message/37416/welding

In general, it's easiest to go to your preferred search engine (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) and enter

pacemaker club welding

and you'll find plenty of discussions about this topic.

What might work for you depends entirely on a) the exact details of your heart+PM, b) your appetite for risk.  *IF* you are 100% PM-dependent and your HR drops to <30BPM without it, then anything that really interferes with your PM's normal operation would be hazardous.  If your PM detects the elecrical noise as heart activations, it won't supply the necessary pacing output. You can see that other heart issues might also be a problem.

In general, old-style arc-welding does seem unwise, but contributors here seem to find MiG/TiG acceptable.

Check with another PM manufacturer

by Daedalus - 2022-03-15 16:37:54

Just a thought, but perhaps you could get some guidance by contacting another PM company for info (Medtronic, Biotronik, St. Jude).  I had questions about mine and contacted Biotronik and they responded promptly and answered my questions.

Welding

by AgentX86 - 2022-03-15 22:58:43

No, pacemaker manufacturers are not going to advise you.  That would be practicing medicine without license, or at least practicing without a relationship.  Your EP should be advising you, though the PM manufacturers do give guidance.  I can never keep welding technologies straight (not enough interest, I guess) but there are some that are OK and some are limited to a maximum current.  The Medtronic site gives recommendations for their pacemakers that include trchnology, maximum current, distance from the unit, and instructions on how to route the cables between the welding unit and the business end.

You don't give a lot of information about yourself but as noted above, a lot depends on your specific situation.  My EP didn't give me directions for welding because I had no interest.  He did give me a specific proscription of lawn tractors. I am completely depenent.  Without my pacemaker, my heart doesn't beat.  There isn't a safety clause in there.  If the alternator (lawn tractor's alternator is right under your butt) caused over-sensing of my pacemaker, I wouldn't get a second chance. Though, as I said, he didn't give me specific instructions about welding but I'm not going to try it. I didn't say "to hell with it. I'm carrying on welding".  I said, "to hell with it, I'm not taking that chance". I understand your frustration though.  It's not putting bread on my table.

Because the limitations are specific to you, the manufacturer wouldn't touch it if they could. Your occupational safety rep can't be expected to know that much. My suggestion to you would be to do a search of the Bosto Sci site and look for information on welding.  Take that to your EP and your occupational safety representative and make your case.

You'll find that it's not "ivory towers", rather CYA. You have to gather supporting information. It may not be possible to climb the CYA mountain.  I wish you luck.

Patient Support

by IanMK13 - 2022-03-16 12:40:28

I just discovered this thread after completing a form I discovered on the BS website under 'Patient and Caregiver Support' . Why would I be directed to the form if their policy is not to communicate with patients?  My queries concerned their Latitude remote download terminals.  My EP couldn't tell me much about them and neither could my pacing clinic (they are relatively new to them). Questions about what detail is interrogated from my cardiac device and when is hardly stepping on the cardiac specialist's toes but helps me understand how to best utilise the patient interface.

BS website

by AgentX86 - 2022-03-16 21:18:20

Can you supply a link this this form?

Boston Scientific

by mar892ree - 2022-03-17 08:53:12

Dear all

A Senior Technician at BS has emailed me regarding any info / advice they could provide - relevant to me returning to work as a fabricator/welder

Obviously as technology advances - advice will change . The advice / info given was pretty much as I'd been able to find on the internet- staying 24" from the arc etc - but welding currents of 200amps or less 

I've asked them to verify this upper recommended welding amperage as previously it was an advised 160 amps .

This applies to Mig , Tig and Plasma 

Excellent ! I'm starting to feel less anxious as the days progress , I'm only 8 days post implant 

Just a quick note - my BP started to rise slowly each day post implant and I decided to ring emergency services when it reached 160/120 the other night . Apparently my PM has gone into AF mode - pacing at 70bpm . 10 mg of Ramapril issued and the BP is starting to fall 115/92 this morning . Apparently I'm booked in for cardioversion in a few weeks to treat AF ?

Mark