- If a doctor pronounces a person with a pacemaker brain dead the doctor usually orders the pacemaker deactivated unless the patient or his surrogate has requested that it be removed or left intact.
- Some people feel that presence of a pacemaker can create an ethical dilemma. A pacemaker can continue to trigger the heart rhythm of a patient who has drawn his last breath, confusing doctors and family members about whether the patient is actually dead. The pacemaker can also prolong the life of a patient in a vegetative state.
- If a person dies and the family chooses to cremate the body, the pacemaker must first be removed. During cremations temperatures can reach 2,400 degrees F for 90 minutes. A gas forms, causing the pacemaker casing to explode. These explosions can cause costly structural damage to a crematorium and injure employees.
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