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December 2, 2008 4:04:41 AM CST

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defibrillator

defibrillator news stories

5 Stories

You Heard? Headphones, Pacemakers Don't Jibe

Headsets may interfere with heart devices

Daily Telegraph (UK) Daily Telegraph (UK) Nov 9, 08 3:25 PM CST
(Newser) - Headphones used with digital music players may interfere with pacemakers and internal defibrillators, scientists discovered in research contradicting reports from the US government. “Exposure of a defibrillator to the headphones can temporarily deactivate the defibrillator,” the lead researcher said. Draping the headphones over the chest caused hindrance in 15% of pacemaker patients and 30% of defibrillator patients, the Daily Telegraph reports. More »

More about:  FDA • study • heart • mp3 • defibrillator • magnetic field • magnets • headphones • pacemakers

Family Blames Airline for Woman's Death

American disputes cousin's account of in-flight incident

Associated Press Associated Press Feb 25, 08 3:28 PM CST
(Newser) - A woman who died en route from Haiti to New York received assistance from the flight crew and fellow passengers, American Airlines said today, disputing the victim's family's account of the incident. "Don't let me die," Carine Desir's cousin recalls her saying after a flight attendant refused to give her oxygen. "Oxygen was administered," an American spokesman said, "and the defibrillator was applied as well." More »

More about:  airline • American Airlines • FAA • medical devices • oxygen • defibrillator

Study: Hospitals Too Slow to Shock Hearts

30% of cardiac arrests receiving care too late

Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal Jan 2, 08 7:42 PM CST
(Newser) - American hospitals are taking too long to revive the hearts of patients who suffer cardiac arrest, a study finds. Electric shock from a defibrillator can restart a stopped heart, but only if it is done quickly. The American Heart Association recommends that patients in cardiac arrest receive treatment within two minutes, but 30% wait longer, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

More about:  health • heart attack • hospitals • heart • cardiac arrest • defibrillator

Medtronic Pulls Defibrillator Wires After 5 Deaths

Defective wires may have led to five deaths

Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal Oct 15, 07 11:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Medtronic is halting sales of a wire that connects defibrillators implanted in the chests of cardiac patients to their hearts. The wires have been shown to fracture and deliver an accidental jolt  to the heart, which can be uncomfortable and may have played a role in five deaths. An estimated 235,000 people worldwide have defibrillators with the lead in question, the Sprint Fidelis line. More »

More about:  defibrillator • Medtronic

Docs Replace Cheney's
Heart Implant

Veep gets go-ahead to return to work after defibrillator gets new battery

Associated Press Associated Press Jul 29, 07 8:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Doctors have replaced Dick Cheney's defibrillator "without complication," a spokeswoman for the VP says. A checkup last month revealed that the battery in the 6-year-old cardiac implant was running low, and yesterday doctors performed a routine procedure to swap out the power source without affecting the wires that connect to the heart, the AP reports. More »

More about:  Dick Cheney • vice president • surgery • heart attack • heart • defibrillator

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