A 47-year-old man has died after trying to cut out his own heart pacemaker from his chest. Channing Askew, who lived in Chicago, told friends he was experiencing chest pains and asked for an ambulance was called. While waiting for an ambulance he attempted to gouge out the device using a screwdriver or knife.
Heart helper: Pacemakers help to regulate the heart beat but Channing Askew complained of chest pains and wanted to remove his
When paramedics arrived at the house Askew was already unconscious. As they attempted to revive him they noticed the stab wound and called police. Doctors later said the single stab wound around the area where the medical device had been fitted was self inflicted. Askew could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital.
Police were called to the group home in the Uptown district of Chicago where Askew lived amid fears he had been attacked. Doctors said the wounds were self inflicted as it appeared Askew had been attempting to remove his own pacemaker.
No autopsy was conducted by the Cook County medical examiner’s office, who ruled his death natural due to heart disease.
Heart pacemakers are small, battery-operated devices that senses when your heart is beating irregularly or too slowly. It sends a signal to your heart that makes your heart beat at the correct pace. The pacemaker is usually inserted on the left side of the chest under the skin near the collar bone.
