Taphophilia.(dot) Com - Heart Devices Retrieved From Crematorium

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Heart Devices Retrieved From Crematorium

Written by DeadGirl
Sunday, 02 April 2006
It was an unusual gathering at the Cremation and Trade Services on Tuesday: a funeral director, the sheriff's department and two top medical device manufacturers. The object was to protect evidence in a class action lawsuit involving pacemakers and defibrillators that may or may not be faulty. The 55 devices taken from the crematorium were neatly lined up in two sections. One group was made by Guidant, the other by Medtronic. Randy Hopper is a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. "The gravity of the circumstance is significant," Hopper said. "People could have ticking time bombs implanted in them." The pacemakers and defibrillators were pulled from people who died and were going to be cremated. There is no proof that these devices didn't work, but Guidant has recalled nearly 300,000 potentially faulty devices, including models linked to seven deaths. About 87,000 Medtronic defibrillators have also been recalled. "There are more than 150, suits, lawsuits that have been filed to date and more that keep coming into the federal court," Hopper said. Information was downloaded from each device. Serial numbers were checked and matched to the deceased. The research went on just a step away from two black ovens used to cremate remains. The funeral director, Paul Maher, said he has to "collect" the devices because the lithium batteries would explode during cremation. He tried to reach Guidant and Medtronic to return the pacemakers. "I tried to call, I did make calls to the companies, but it was just a voicemail," Maher said. "They're big companies. They have lots of things they're dealing with. My issue wasn't at the top of the list at the moment." So to get their attention, Maher called the media and that's how the attorney found out about this possible lawsuit. Now, if problems are found, the devices could be used in the lawsuit. Sheriff's deputies tagged and confiscated the pacemakers and defibrillators to protect them from being destroyed. SOURCE: http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_081113643.html

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Taphophilia?

taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)

ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"

DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries