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So, after an episode of V-tach, I will be having a heart ablation to prevent *most* future episodes. Also, to cover the remaining potential of further episodes that could still occur, the doctor wants me to get an implanted defibrillator. All new stuff to me and I thought where better to hear about people's experiences with these things than here. Not looking for medical advice, unless you are a doctor. I have doctors for that. I am looking for advice based on your experiences. What do you wish you knew *before* having an ablation or defibrillator? Were you placed on...

Three-month-old Elayna Nigrelli has redefined what it means to be a miracle baby. She was born while her mother was technically dead. In February, Erica Nigrelli was teaching at a high school in Missouri City, Texas, when she walked into a co-worker's classroom. Nigrelli said she felt faint, placed her hands on a table to steady herself and then passed out. Three teachers immediately grabbed a defibrillator and also began performing CPR. Kids in the classroom ran out, yelling for help. Nigrelli's husband, Nathan, also a teacher, was just two doors down. He rushed into the room. "Erica was lying...

[Video, photo, definitions] According to the media we hate, George Bush was a moron for saying, “Nu-cu-lar” (despite the fact that he captained a nu-cu-lar submarine, Jimmy Carter said it the same way). We’re still waiting to hear how stupid Barack Obama is for mispronouncing “defibrillator” on the Tonight Show. Guess the story was simply lost in the flood of mainstream reportage of the President’s “Special Olympics” quip. Oddly enough, ...

Excerpt - WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will have a new internal heart defibrillator implanted on Saturday morning because the battery needs replacing, his office said on Friday. After Cheney's annual checkup last month, his doctors advised him to have the implanted cardioverter defibrillator replaced because the battery was nearing the point it would have to be replaced. His office has said the device was functioning properly and had not treated any abnormal heart beats. "On Saturday morning, the Vice President will have a scheduled visit with his doctors at George Washington University Hospital at...

LEBANON -- Joshua Philip Martin was in his fourth day on the job as a rescue-squad worker in Russell County when, in a playful mood, he decided to reach into the front seat of the ambulance and zap one of his co-workers with the defibrillator paddles. The rookie's mistake was fatal. Yesterday, in Russell Circuit Court, a judge convicted Martin, 25, of involuntary manslaughter, warning the burly but pink-faced young man that when he returns to court in March, he likely will be sent to prison. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years. The target of Martin's prank was...

DENVER - A family is suing the Cherry Creek Mall, claiming a failure to respond with an automatic defibrillator allowed their daughter to die. Additional Resources... 9NEWS reporter Paul Johnson talks with Memory's parents about their daughter and their lawsuit. 9NEWS 10 p.m. Dec. 14, 2005. Eighteen-year-old Memory Rollins of Denver was working at American Eagle Outfitters in the mall two years ago when she went into cardiac arrest. Rollins was an active teen; a dancer and a model. However, because of an electrical problem with her heart called Long QT Syndrome, she had a pacemaker. Although doctors thought it...

AN ENGINEER has survived 28 cardiac arrests in a single afternoon, after he was resuscitated on each occasion using a defibrillator. Jeff Kerswell, 54, from Whipton, Devon, remembers little about it but his doctors and paramedics certainly will. “The consultant took pictures and X-rays of his chest and a picture of the two of us together to show there was a happy ending,” Heather Kerswell, the patient’s wife, said yesterday. “He couldn’t believe it. He wants to use [the picture] in his research and teaching.” Mr Kerswell, a shower engineer, was at work when he began having chest pains. “I...

Guidant Corp. said Friday it was recalling cardiac defibrillators implanted in nearly 50,000 people worldwide because of a flaw that could cause it to malfunction. At least two patients with the devices have died. The Indianapolis-based company said it was advising physicians about the safety of several defibrillator models, which have failed at least 45 times. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised patients to see their doctor and said it would not recommend whether individual patients with one of the recalled devices should have them removed and replaced. Guidant offered to replace some of the defibrillators, but has not...

The Red Rooster III was 90 miles out of San Diego on an afternoon in July when it came across a fisherman's dream, a school of albacore tuna. Suddenly, the charter boat's skipper, John Grabowski, saw a rod flying in the air as a passenger, a 72-year-old man, seized up with a heart attack. Mr. Grabowski ran to get the portable defibrillator kept on board. Shocked with the device, the man appeared to revive, but more shocks were needed. They never came. The device signaled that it was out of power and failed to work again. A replacement battery did...

Complaining of shortness of breath. Cheney taken to George Washington University Hospital. He has an internal defibulator to help his heart.