Man Tries to Remove His Pacemaker Himself - Ends Up Dead in the Process

This is not a good idea by all means and the way the article is written it’s hard to tell if it was the incision he made or if the pacemaker caused the pain in his chest and his desire to try to remove it. Another article I read said he may have had a history of mental issues so who knows at this point as to why he tried to remove it, but pacemaker removal is not a do it yourself chore. It will be interesting to hear the autopsy on how his death occurred as he was alive and passed away in the ambulance ride. BD

A Chicago man has died after authorities say he cut his chest to try to remove his pacemaker.
The Cook County medical examiner says 47-year-old Channing Askew died Monday night at a Chicago hospital. The Chicago Tribune reports ( http://trib.in/sflxJM ) that a doctor told police that Askew apparently had tried to remove his pacemaker himself. Police say paramedics were called to a group home where Askew lived when he complained of chest pain.

Police say Askew complained to paramedics about chest pains. Askew fell unconscious in the ambulance. Paramedics trying to revive him removed Askew's shirt and found a puncture wound on the upper left side of his chest.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-selfpacemakerremo,0,972968.story