A conversation I had last night:
ICU Nurse: "Did you see the video on the guy who hacked his pacemaker?"
Me: "Seriously?"
ICU Nurse: "Yeah, I think it was on Spike TV’s show "1000 Ways to Die."
I show this rendition of the entertainment industry’s version of "funny" with considerable reluctance, but I think it’s important that doctors understand what today’s younger generation is seeing these days on TV concerning pacemakers. While the skit starts off fairly comically, the writers of this script couldn’t stop with a hacker playing with his own pacemaker, they had to include a video gamer "owning" the hacker, ultimately leading to "Way to Die #371."
Seriously, if you have a pacemaker, consider not viewing this. While there have been reports of at least one group reverse-engineering an implantable defibrillator’s programmer, the idea of a video game controller "controlling" a pacemaker from another room stretches reality too far.
Still, there are enough anxiety treatment centers los angeles and the reality with this skit is to create anxiety in patients with pacemakers. Furthermore, while I accept this was created for "entertainment," there are also enough inaccuracies to be concerned about what our younger generation might think about these devices when they get old enough to need them.
So here’s the link.
I’d be interested to see what my readers think about this show’s episode: good, bad, funny, sad.
Perhaps the Heart Rhythm Society should consider sending VIACOM Media Networks (the owner of Spike TV) a letter on behalf of all of us who deal with these life-saving devices every day to make this episode "pay-per-view" rather than free to all as it exists now.
-Wes
