Undertakers

I think the mortuary technician would do that after the post mortem.

Originally Posted by Ed

I think the mortuary technician would do that after the post mortem.

Not quite. My grandad sadly passed away a year ago with severe heart failure. He had a pacemaker fitted by the Heart Hospital in London and the mortuary technician couldnt/wasnt allowed to remove it before my grandad was cremeated. Apparently it was too dangerous?

Anyhoo, it ended up with someone from the Heart Hospital traveling all the way to the mortuary to remove it.

Your grandad must have had some sort of super duper pacemaker Maria that they may have intended on using for someone else?

Normally it is either the undertaker or a GP who will remove the pacemaker. It has to be removed otherwise the furnace will blow up (apparantly!). There is no risk to anyone removing it other than the usual blood borne infections that they should be protecting themselves from anyway. A GP will charge to remove the pacemaker, I think the last time I heard it was £50 to £100 to remove one.

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by hindle8907

My mum told me the otherday, so unless shes pulling my leg but its not like my mum to make this sort of thing up.

she will be (possibly unwittingly) , a colleague told me the same thing a couple of years ago

Originally Posted by Speedy Claire

It has to be removed otherwise the furnace will blow up (apparantly!).

So nearly right!!

It's to do with the fact that crematoria, like other incinerators and other waste combustion plant, have strict limits on what they are permitted to emit into the atmosphere. Its the "heavy metals" in the pacemakers (cadmium, etc) that are the issue, along with mercury in the amalgam used for tooth fillings.

It is also down to the desire to keep combustion gases free from visible matter when they leave the flue. No one want to see Great Aunt Ethel's remains being sent skywards.

I have lots of stories I could tell....... but not here

Yeah, Jabba is right. It's to stop air pollution basically. The batteries are usually mercury I believe, which we call know is harmful.

I wouldn't see the problem with seeing a relatives ashes float off into the sky! Seems kind of cool!

Originally Posted by TazDaz

I wouldn't see the problem with seeing a relatives ashes float off into the sky! Seems kind of cool!

Think of it as "wide area scattering of remains according to wind direction"

Generally the pathologist removes them if there is a PM, if not then I was under the impression that the undertakers dealt with that....a bit like how they stitch up all the holes and stuff.......

Originally Posted by Jabba

So nearly right!!

It's to do with the fact that crematoria, like other incinerators and other waste combustion plant, have strict limits on what they are permitted to emit into the atmosphere. Its the "heavy metals" in the pacemakers (cadmium, etc) that are the issue, along with mercury in the amalgam used for tooth fillings.

It is also down to the desire to keep combustion gases free from visible matter when they leave the flue. No one want to see Great Aunt Ethel's remains being sent skywards.

I have lots of stories I could tell....... but not here

I`d like to hear the stories lol and many thanks cos it`s really nice to find out the exact rationale. If ever i`m asked in the future by a patients family it will sound so much nicer to be able to say that it`s due to the heavy metals in the pacemaker rather than telling them "it`s cos Aunty Ethel will blow the incinerator up"!!!

Originally Posted by vixis

I *think* people usually get such items returned as a routine matter, some author was on TV the other day and he showed the audience his dad's pacemaker (he said he considered it a personal momento) and mentioned that they didnt have to ask, but perhaps that was a special case? Easy enough to find out - ring the hospital.

"Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers By Mary Roach" is also an excellent book to read to find out the facts (rather than the urban myths).

Cool, thanks - I'll look that up