After seeing this headline I figured I'd explain a little about what happened to Cheney (no he did not have his "heart battery" replaced - blocks of ice don't require batteries). Although, first I have to share my favorite take on the situation.
Implantable defibrillators (ICDs) and pacemakers come in two pieces - the can and the electrode. The electrode is the wire which in traditional devices go though a vein into the heart. The can in a tradition device sits under the skin near the top of the chest. The battery is incorporated in the can along with all of the electronics. When the battery runs down (typically indicated by the device beeping at some interval) the entire can is replaced. Both because once you open the can you don't want to seal it up again and re-implant it and because after 6 years it's good to upgrade to the latest model.
1 comment:
"blocks of ice"- oh man that was great. And so was the spoof story. God I hope I don't ever need one of those. I don't like the idea of a battery inside me, that's so strange.
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