heart rate when dying

My 70 year old father passed away of an apparent heart attack.  He had a pace maker and was part of a clinical study for the device. We didn't do an autopsy but we had data from his pace maker analysed after he was buried.  He was found at his home several days after anyone had last heard from him, and by the odour and staining on the hardwood floor (from his body) we thought he may have expired 3 or 4 days before we found him.  When we got his pace maker data, it showed heart activity and pace maker response on the day before we found him. Since we had all assumed he might have been dead for a few days, particularly how he was found.  Could it be that he had an "event" 3 or 4 days earlier that could have paralysed him where he couldn't call anyone potentially brain dead with a heart rate for a few days until it finally shut down the day before we found him?  What would explain the odor and staining, if he truly only collapsed the day before we found him?  Its all speculation, but we are searching for possible answers.

[michellepetkus]

I am not a doctor so I can't begin to even claim to know what your grandfather died of but what I do know is if his heart started to beat too slowly it is possible he was passed out for a few days as his heart slowed to a stop.  If the heart isn't pumping blood efficiently we will loose consciousness so if this is indeed what happened to your grandfather it is likely he went very quietly even if he initially had a fall.

[Jerry_NJ]

What did the death certificate give as the cause of death?  You say "apparent heart attack", is that what the medical examiner (doctor) said was the cause?

I didn't know a pacemaker had a recorder "in" it.  Your description says it must have a dated data bank recording heart rate.  That's news to me, but I am not an expert or even a user of a pace maker, but I am in the same age bracket as your father was.  This leaves me asking  questions rather than propose answers.

[zedder1975]

The medical examiner based onhis health history  said it was a heart attack and no autopsy was ordered. The pacemaker had a recorder maybe just because of the study he was involved in which could be interrogated to determine when it kicked in.  It didn't record heart rate all the time, just events that caused the pace maker to respond.  The only data was for a 8 hour period on his "last day", but like I said, the fact that he didn't return calls for 3 days prior to that day, and the "physcial evidence" at the scene (as described), I was wondering if it could have been a stroke or something 3 or 4 days before that shut everything down but his heart.  We are trying to piece together what those days could have been.  Speculation of course,...a stroke?  Would he have been unconsciousness?  or if he could have been paralyzed and conscious but unable to move.  Like I said,  it looked like he had been in one spot for a few days.

[tom_h]

First, I'm sorry for your loss and I can understand how you'd like some shred of evidence that would bring you peace.  My 70 y/o mother in law whithered and died within 3 months, and that mystery still bothers us as we'd like to know what really happened to her.  Nothing conclusive was ever found.

The only thing I could offer to you is that complete body decomposition doesn't occur if there's blood circulation.  The medical examiner concluded that he had expired 3 to 4 days prior to being found, so that fact that the pacemaker's recorder show evidence of electrical activity in the heart could just be due to the breakdown of the body.  A person's body who expires within 24 hours of being found will not show much evidence of decomposition unless the air temperature is extrelemely warm.

You may never know exactly the cause of death, but based on the professional's report and the evidence found, I'd be at peace knowing that your father didn't lay helpless, sufferering for that length of time, but probably quickly expired.  Again, my condolences to you and your family.

[RNRita]

I have had some experience in hospice with pacemakers.  I would have to see what kind of electrical activity and response the pacemaker showed.  I know that I had a patient once that was claiming to have had his ICD shock him after it was turned off.  He was concerned that it would not let him pass when his time came.  I called the programmer who explained about phantom "shocking," a well known phenomenon (which at first I was reluctant to believe), but my point is, actually, that they studied the ICD and found it had NOT gone off.  So, apparently, they can find out what an ICD was doing for a few days prior.  Was your grandfather's also an ICD?  What kind of response?  Did it try to pace or shock?  I would ask the pacemaker's programmers to answer your question.  They have probably heard everything and I'm surprised they can't give you an answer.