RE: Atomic Pacemakers

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

	on Wednesday, May 26, 1999 3:14 PM, you wrote,

>  There are approximately 70 being worn by patients in the U.S.  The two   
> principal manufacturers of these pacemakers were  Cordis and Medtronic   
> (Coratomic).  They are no longer involved with the monitoring.  Other   
> companies have assumed that function.
> Each pacemaker contains 175 mg plutonium-238 about 2.8 curies). 
<><><><><><><><><><>

Surprised to see there are so few left now !
Question: were similar devices ever used/made in other countries -- France,
U.K., Germany, Canada, Belgium, Japan, etc. ?

Question 2: there seems to be some inconsistency in the Pu content figures;
for instance, the following is posted at URL
http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/pn/pn19858.htm

Subject: LOSS OF A NUCLEAR-POWERED CARDIAC PACEMAKER 
At approximately 5:00 p.m. on November 30, 1998, the Radiation Safety
Officer (RSO) of Washington Hospital Center informed Region I that there was
a potential loss of a nuclear-powered cardiac pacemaker, containing 250
milligrams of plutonium-238, which equates to approximately 4.27 curies. The
pacemaker had been explanted from an expired patient at a funeral home on
August 26, 1998 and returned to Washington Hospital Center, the pacemaker
licensee, for disposal by Washington Hospital Center. The RSO stated that
the pacemaker had been mailed to St. Jude Medical, Inc. of Sylmar,
California on September 15, 1998 via U.S. Postal Service.St. Jude Medical,
Inc. was supposed to receive the pacemaker on behalf ofthe pacemaker vendor.
On or about October 22, 1998, the licensee called St. Jude Medical for
confirmation of receipt of the pacemaker. However, St. Jude Medical
indicated that it had not received the pacemaker. In its search for the
missing pacemaker, surveys were conducted of various areas of the Washington
Hospital Center facility, including the Postal Area. Washington Hospital
Center has requested that St. Jude Medical, Inc. conduct an extensive
search, including radiological surveys, of its various facilities in its
continued attempts to locate the missing pacemaker. Region I will continue
to follow up on the incident and is planning an on-site inspection. The
District of Columbia has been informed. The Region I Office of Public
Affairs is prepared to respond to media inquiries. The information is
current as of 2:00 p.m., December 1, 1998. 

Any insights on these additional questions ?

Thanks to everyone for their generous replies.

jaro
frantaj@aecl.ca
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