1. Pacemaker/Defibrillator Evaluation at Los Angeles County Department of Coroner*
- Author
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B S Joseph Muto, Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, Christopher Rogers, Noel G. Boyle, Daniel Rieders, and Pauline Saint-Martin
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Pacemaker, Artificial ,Forensic pathology ,Pathology and Forensic Medicine ,Coroner ,Young Adult ,Electric Power Supplies ,Genetics ,Forensic engineering ,Humans ,Telemetry ,Medicine ,Forensic Pathology ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,Computer Storage Devices ,Cardiac electrophysiology ,business.industry ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Los Angeles ,Defibrillators, Implantable ,Time of death ,Child, Preschool ,Forensic pathologist ,Tachycardia, Ventricular ,Pacemaker defibrillator ,Equipment Failure ,Female ,Medical emergency ,business ,Coroners and Medical Examiners - Abstract
Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted medical devices for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. These devices are now commonly encountered in the postmortem situation. The Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner uses the services of a cardiac electrophysiology consultant to interrogate pacemakers and ICDs, producing a detailed picture of the cardiac events recorded by the device. We have used this method to evaluate 20 cases where the ICD or pacemaker provided significant information. We report four forensic cases to illustrate the different applications of pacemaker interrogation and its contribution in forensic investigation. This technique was used to establish identification of the decedent, to determine the cause and time of death, and to determine whether device malfunction could have played a role in the death. We conclude that detailed evaluation of the pacemaker or ICD in selected cases may provide essential information to the forensic pathologist.
- Published
- 2008
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