AboutMargot RN BScN CGN Expertise I nursed my own Mother and Grandmother at home when they were dying so I have personal experience with the emotions involved. I have also spent the last 15+ years as a Registered Nurse caring for The Elderly and Terminally Ill and it has brought me great satisfaction. I am willing to answer any questions I can.
Experience
Past/Present clients Hundreds of Long Term Care Residents as well as hundreds of Cleitns and families in the community (including my Mother and Grandmother).
Question My mother is 91 years old and has had CHF for the last 10 years. She had her second pace maker implanted last year. Mom is very weak, doesn't do anything all day but sit except for making lunch or using the bathroom, she becomes exhausted very easily to the point of almost falling. Also feels faint and sees light flashes when she stands up (even though she stands slowly). She is on many medications. She says she never feels good enough to do anything. My question is this: because she has a pacemaker, how does she come to her death if it continually keeps her going?
Answer Hi Sandra and thanks for writing,
I'm a nurse and I used to wonder this myself. Basically a pacemaker just sends a signal to the heart either continuously or occasionally, if the beats are too slow or irregular, but it cannot jump start or defibrillate the heart if it stops.
Generally the heart stops due to lack of oxygen to the heart tissue and even though the pacemaker will continue to send signals for a period of time, unless it’s turned off, it will not restart the heart with damaged tissue.
People die natural deaths every day with pacemakers, otherwise we'd have to have a centre for "turning people off" which would certainly be controversial in North America.
