A pacemaker is a small electronic device implanted under the skin to regulate the heartbeat in people whose heart beats too slowly or irregularly. For many patients, it is a life-saving device—but its cost can place it beyond the reach of families who cannot afford it.
What many people do not know is that a pacemaker may still have useful battery life even after its recipient has passed away. In carefully selected cases, the device can be removed after death, professionally assessed for remaining battery life and function, appropriately reprocessed and considered for implantation in another patient who is unable to afford a new device. Evidence from India and other countries supports the feasibility of this approach when appropriate medical, sterilisation, consent and regulatory processes are followed.
How can you donate?
If a loved one who has a pacemaker passes away, please do not assume that the device has to be buried or cremated with them. Speak to the treating hospital or contact us as soon as possible. With the family’s informed consent, we can help coordinate the appropriate medical team for device retrieval, evaluation and referral for possible reuse.
The pacemaker itself is evaluated carefully—devices with inadequate battery life, damage or other concerns are not considered for reuse. The pacemaker leads are generally not reused because of the difficulty in ensuring their sterility and mechanical integrity.
Your donation could help another life
For a family, donating a pacemaker can be a meaningful way to transform a moment of loss into an opportunity to help someone else. A device that is no longer needed by one person may, when medically suitable and properly processed, give another person the chance to live a healthier and more independent life.
If your family would like to donate a pacemaker after the death of a loved one, please contact us. We will help guide you through the process and connect you with the appropriate medical team.
What should I do if my relative with a pacemaker dies?
- Following demise of an individual with a pacemaker in them, the body of the deceased should not be cremated as there is a risk of explosion of the device owing to the battery which should not be heated.
- Such bodies should either be buried in the soil or the device should be removed prior to cremation.
Who can remove the device?
- Any registered Medical Doctor can remove the device from the deceased if trained/ guided by a cardiologist.
How long will it take to remove the pacemaker device from the dead body?
- Under skilled hands less than 10 minutes
Can you cremate the dead body after removing the pacemaker device?
- Yes. Once the device is removed the body can be cremated.
What can we do with the pacemaker device after removal from the dead body?
- The pacemaker device if removed cautiously by experienced individuals without damage, can be donated for use for some poor patients who cannot afford to buy one.
- If you do not wish to donate it, you can prefer to keep it safe with you, or discard in biomedical / electronic wastes.
What is the procedure for pacemaker device donation?
- Signed written consent will be obtained from the blood relatives of the deceased for removal of the device and for voluntary, and willful donation for reimplantation in financially poor patients free of cost.
- The device should be checked and programmed to off mode to save the battery of the device
- Then the device will be plasma sterilized, which is the ultimate sterilization procedure to prevent infections.
- Later when any eligible patient who cannot financially afford to buy a device needs it, it will be used for them.
- But to note, only the pacemaker device or pulse generator is used. The leads and wires of the pacemakers are not reused
You too can give a pulse to the pulseless!!
Can we sell a pacemaker device which is removed from a deceased body?
- Legally No!!!
Will the family of the deceased get money if the device is donated?
- Absolutely No. it is a free, voluntary, and willful donation.
What is our experience with the pacemaker donation program?
- We go as a team to the place where the body of the deceased is placed, if we are given consent by them.
- Some patients after death inside hospital, if informed, we do remove the device before body is sent home.
- After obtaining consent for removal and donation, signed by 3 relatives of the deceased we remove the pace maker device from the body of the deceased
- The procedure may take less than 10 minutes in total.
- The relatives of the family will be given an acknowledgement form signed by the doctor declaring that the device is removed successfully and it has been received by us to donate to financially poor patients for free.
- This acknowledgement can be produced as document of removal of the device while cremating the body
- Our team is Voluntarily associated with the Department of Cardiology and EP in Christian Medical College Vellore, TN, India for the donation of pacemakers for free of cost to financially poor patients.
- On receival of the same in the Department of Cardiology and EP, the device is inspected, programmed to Off mode, and plasma sterilised.
- Later the device is used for saving the lives of any financially poor patients who need a pulse generator device implantation.
- The device once obtained after will full consent for free donation, it can neither be claimed by the relatives or anyone else.
- The entire process of pacemaker donation is done as a service to save lives of some financially poor patient who needs a Pulse Generator (Pacemaker Device) implantation.
How often does this happen?
- As awareness of this processes is very limited in the community and among medical fraternity, We do it only if the family of the deceased are wilfully interested and donates the same to us.
- Usually Cardiologists who have implanted the device, at time of the implantation in the patient, educates the family about this option of donation once the patient is deceased. But as years pass the family members forget about the same and the device is buried with the body, and so one another financially poor patient goes helpless.
So what happens to others who die with pacemakers inside them?
Most of the pacemakers are buried with the bodies.
Most interestingly, even if the individual dies and is buried with the pacemaker, it will be still functional, and some times depending on the battery life, it can remain functional up to 10 to 15 years.
That is why, you will be see that, even after a patient with a pacemaker inside them dies, the ECG will show electrical spikes but no cardiac capture.
ECG tracing of a deceased which shows electrical spikes but no cardiac capture.
How can you be a part of the donation program?
- If you are a doctor, you can also contact the Dr. Sanoop Kumar Sherin Sabu directly. I will be able to guide you how to remove the pacemaker and coordinate to send it to us to donate the pacemaker device for free, with proper consent obtained from the deceased’s family.
- If you are the relative of deceased individual with pacemaker in them, willing to donate the pacemaker device, contact the nearest cardiologist/ doctor to help you remove the device from the deceased.
- It barely taken less than 15 minutes to remove the device and can be done at your home itself.
- If you donot know any doctor who can remove it for you, you just contact a nearby MBBS doctor who can come to your home. Connect him with Dr. Sanoop Kumar Sherin Sabu and he will guide him through the procedure.
Can you verify if the device is donated to the any poor financially patients?
The records for device donation are maintained by the medical institution where it is done. This devices are send to Department of Cardiology and EP Christian Medical College Vellore, TN, India, under the coordination of Dr. John Roshan Jacob, M.D., DM., Professor Cardiology Unit 4 CMC Ranipet Campus.
Authored by
Dr. Sanoop Kumar Sherin Sabu M.D.,
Physician, Diabetologist and Palliative Care Consultant
Email:- skssabu@gmail.com
9847811159
Edited and Reviewed by
Dr. John Roshan Jacob, M.D., DM.,
Professor Cardiology Unit 4
CMC Ranipet Campus,
Rathinagiri, Kilminnal post ,Ealaja taluk, Ranipet,
Tamil Nadu 632517
Tel Ph No. 04172 224715
Email:- cardio.ep@cmcvellore.ac.in
For further information please visit CMC EP website at www.cardiologyepcmcvellore.com