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Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

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Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#81

Post by ethbr0 »

furyofantares wrote: post #76
hwillis wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You really should not. 60 beats per minute means that in ten years the leads of a pacemaker will be bent *315 million* times. That's an order of magnitude higher than we typically test fatigue resistance, and even if we were that confident about being able to produce flawless materials, there are millions of different enzymes and acids and temperature fluctuations in the body. Any one of those could impact the fatigu…

It's a weird argument, though, that we should be checking in on the state of the patient & these devices, but we don't do it unless we have the additional problem of needing to replace a battery.

I'd think cert expiration would have taught all of us that out of sight and working is out of a busy, multitasking mind.

Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#82

Post by rwmj »

bhaak wrote: post #3

Wonder how I slided into the world of Fallout? WTF!?! We have plutonium powered pacemakers? http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/degraw2/ Ah, okay we had . > Despite the often longer life-expectancies, nuclear pacemakers quickly became a part of the past when lithium batteries were developed. Not only did the technology improve, allowing for lighter, smaller, and programmable pacemakers, but doctors began to…

Until now I assumed that all pacemakers were nuclear powered, since I read about this as a kid in some children's science book. It's come as a surprise to find out they're unusual.

Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#84

Post by pxeger1 »

xtracto wrote: post #39
Bakary wrote: post #17

Tragically relevant story to accompany this article: the Goiânia accident. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident

Ooh, the Cobalt-60 incident in Mexico is also pretty crazy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez_cobalt-60_c... There were houses built of contaminated rebar! The story gets crazier the more you read about it.

It seems like an amazing coincidence that they were able to work out so much about how this happened. It makes you wonder how often this happens and noone finds out.

Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#85

Post by nousermane »

hwillis wrote: post #33
mysterydip wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> allowing for doctors to check in on their patients and replace either the batteries or the pacemakers themselves I cynically read this as "we needed to get more money out of these patients"

You really should not. 60 beats per minute means that in ten years the leads of a pacemaker will be bent *315 million* times. That's an order of magnitude higher than we typically test fatigue resistance, and even if we were that confident about being able to produce flawless materials, there are millions of different enzymes and acids and temperature fluctuations in the body. Any one of those could impact the fatigu…

> 315 million times. That's an order of magnitude higher than we typically test fatigue resistance

Nah, it's not that bad. Decent mechanical keyboard switch is specified for 100 million clicks [1, or google for "switch million actuations"]. Surely good engineering can eek out another order of magnitude. Not to mention - pacemaker leads ("wires"), the only part that bends, have way less stress on them (= larger bend radius) compared to a keyboard switch. Oh, and technology of multi-strand wire for redundancy is a very well established and understood one.

[1] https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-files/4974/EN_CHERRY_M...

Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#87

Post by ethbr0 »

foobiekr wrote: post #52
ssizn wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

The kids weren't scavengers. There are so many things we could have if we actually could somehow have faith that the required (for safety, pollution mitigation, etc.) full lifecycle was actually honored. Instead, everything is dominated by lazy jerks. The other day, I noticed my neighbor's house painter digging a hole. I said hello and asked what was up, and he said "Yes, I need to dispose of the water and paint from…

What's the recommended method of disposing of paint waste water in the Bay Area?

I'd assume soil sequestration (we're not talking lead paint here, presumably) is preferable to storm drain dilution?

Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#89

Post by reaperducer »

xtracto wrote: post #39
Bakary wrote: post #17

Tragically relevant story to accompany this article: the Goiânia accident. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident

Ooh, the Cobalt-60 incident in Mexico is also pretty crazy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez_cobalt-60_c... There were houses built of contaminated rebar! The story gets crazier the more you read about it.

There are people in America who live in houses built out of radioactive uranium mine tailings.

https://navajotimes.com/reznews/grand-canyon-gateway-chapter...

They've been begging the EPA for help for decades.

Re: Nuclear-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers

#90

Post by jjkaczor »

konschubert wrote: post #19
mysterydip wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> allowing for doctors to check in on their patients and replace either the batteries or the pacemakers themselves I cynically read this as "we needed to get more money out of these patients"

I read this as: Most patients don’t survive those 10 years anyways.

My grandfather got a pacemaker in the late 1970's.

He died in 2014, not from heart-related issues.

I'd say that was a good return on medical investment.

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