I’ve been thinking about Nancy’s pacemaker since Feb 7th when I first found out that she had one. Given that I have a recent one myself, I’ve been curious to learn more about them. I’ve found some manufactured models that work directly with a cell phone. Others have a medical monitor that acts as an intermediary which both patient and medical team can connect to. If they know, LE has not told us what brand NG has.
Also, being curious about a pacemaker’s operation now that LE is FINALLY using technology to see if they get a ping,
This may be TMI for some but IMO, from what I’ve read and found out through the maker of mine….is what could help to determine if NG is still alive….if they get a response from the pacemaker.
When a person dies, a pacemaker does not automatically stop. It is a programmed electrical device that cannot detect biological death and will continue its function until intervened or the battery fails.
Here is what happens during and after death:
During the Dying Process
The Device Keeps Firing: A pacemaker will continue to send electrical impulses to the heart at its programmed rate.
The Heart Stops Responding: While the pacemaker sends signals, a dying heart eventually loses the ability to contract due to a lack of oxygen and electrolyte imbalances. This means the device cannot keep a person alive or prevent a natural death.
Management After Death
Deactivation: If a person dies in a clinical setting (like a hospital or hospice), medical staff may use a specialized magnet or programming wand to deactivate the device.
Data Retrieval: In cases of sudden or unexplained death, doctors may "interrogate" the device. It acts like a flight recorder, providing a log of the heart's activity and the exact time it stopped.
Does the pacemaker stay on?
Standard Pacemakers: These typically continue to "fire" silently until the battery dies (which can take years) or they are manually deactivated.