Medtronic “MedCareLink”: send back or keep?

[eti]

Hi. Someone I know had one of those implanted heart monitors fitted a few years ago, and it has now expired. It talks to this Medtronic “MyCareLink” receiver, as seen ALL OVER eBay and the like: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225139998979?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749389&toolid=20006&customid=GB_26395_225139998979.148415532128~1868700197267-g_Cj0KCQiAkMGcBhCSARIsAIW6d0BE0FT1jTUmRwQ7GF3XFB7GrvoW5_EOAe37v5NQQAMM7c_SK4nPNCgaAsNhEALw_wcB

Said person would like to know whether they send the receiver gizmo back to the surgery, or whether I can have it to take apart. I said I’d think they’re one of those things that needs to be SO reliable, that I don’t think a used one would be supplied, when the very purpose of the system is literally life or death.

For the price they are listed @ ebay, this makes me think its no good to anyone after use, is considered an expense that has been written off, and people are just like "<shrug> well what will I get for it on eBay? I dunno what else to do with it"

They don’t seem to have much of a significant value, as said person's last one went wrong a few months ago, and they were told to toss r and were sent a new one.

Does anyone know? I’d be interested to crack  it open and have a gander inside. My location is UK btw.

Many thanks

PS: found someone who has taken one apart: https://incoherency.co.uk/blog/stories/medtronic-mycarelink.html

[SiliconWizard]

Does the equipment belong to the user or is it still owned by the company? That's what would matter here I think. There should be legal mentions in the user's manual?

If the user owns it, then I guess they can do whatever they want with it once they have no use for it anymore, except, sure, just throw it away with normal trash, but just like any other electronic device.

The company probably has a procedure for handling returns and properly having them recycled as per the law, but the user can probably keep it otherwise and it becomes their own responsability to properly dispose of the device. If the company said to toss it away, I don't see a single reason why you should even bother returning it if you have any use for it. Just handle it as any other electronic equipment.

[thm_w]

Yeah unless they were specifically told to return it for analysis, its deemed one time use.

I'm sure it still works fine, but they don't want to deal with getting it back, sterilizing it, verifying it works, etc.

I've had a holter monitor (records ecg and ekg), which they get back, pull the data off and re-use. The wire leads and case for the device are going to be thrown out.

[eti]

Yeah unless they were specifically told to return it for analysis, its deemed one time use.

I'm sure it still works fine, but they don't want to deal with getting it back, sterilizing it, verifying it works, etc.

I've had a holter monitor (records ecg and ekg), which they get back, pull the data off and re-use. The wire leads and case for the device are going to be thrown out.

This device contains a cellular modem which sends ECG telemetry back to their centres for monitoring. The fact eBay is rammed full of the same unit, leads me to believe that the "one use and trash it" holds true.

[Stray Electron]

   FWIW  Ebay used to get very nasty with sellers that tried to sell medical equipment on there.

[xrunner]

I have a Medtronic pump unit that was implanted in my mother who passed 7 years ago. It injected pain medicine into a tube in her back. The funeral people gave it to me because it can't be burned. It still goes "beep beep beep" because it's in an alarm due to it having no medicine. Been doing that for 7 years now. If I remember tomorrow I'll take a picture of it. I need to ask the company if I can take it apart or what ... 

[james_s]

   FWIW  Ebay used to get very nasty with sellers that tried to sell medical equipment on there.

I guess it depends on what it is. I've bought xray equipment, an IV fluid warmer, and other various bits without any issues.

[thm_w]

Yeah lots of med stuff on ebay.
Maybe it depends on the brand (whose lawyers submit takedown requests), or specific laws in certain countries.

I have a Medtronic pump unit that was implanted in my mother who passed 7 years ago. It injected pain medicine into a tube in her back. The funeral people gave it to me because it can't be burned. It still goes "beep beep beep" because it's in an alarm due to it having no medicine. Been doing that for 7 years now. If I remember tomorrow I'll take a picture of it. I need to ask the company if I can take it apart or what ... 

You don't need to ask the company.
Open it up, I assume it has a very large lithium primary battery if its been running this long.

[xrunner]

I have a Medtronic pump unit that was implanted in my mother who passed 7 years ago. It injected pain medicine into a tube in her back. The funeral people gave it to me because it can't be burned. It still goes "beep beep beep" because it's in an alarm due to it having no medicine. Been doing that for 7 years now. If I remember tomorrow I'll take a picture of it. I need to ask the company if I can take it apart or what ... 

You don't need to ask the company.
Open it up, I assume it has a very large lithium primary battery if its been running this long.

It was the second one she had - the first one was replaced due to a low battery which requires going to surgery. But I think they are very conservative as far as the battery state being "low". As you said, the battery must be a pretty beefy unit to last this long. I don't think it has been activating it's RF transmitter for any reason. I just looked up the Medtronic pumps and it looks like it was a Medtronic Synchromed II pump like this one -

https://twincitiespainclinic.com/intrathecal-pump-a-review/

It's filled by a needle that goes through the skin and into the port. I remember they didn't always find the port accurately poking around.

There are pics anyway on the internet of what's inside so ... yea. Taking it apart might be difficult because it's probably welded closed, as you don't want those pain meds dripping into your body unregulated. 

[james_s]

Interesting thing I learned a few years ago, the early implanted pacemakers contained a plutonium RTG, I would guess that everyone that had one of those is dead by now though.

[thm_w]

There are pics anyway on the internet of what's inside so ... yea. Taking it apart might be difficult because it's probably welded closed, as you don't want those pain meds dripping into your body unregulated. 

ohh yeah I see what you mean now, they are stainless steel that contains a reservoir with the drug, that is something to be cautious about.
https://mriquestions.com/implanted-infusion-pumps.html

Imagine you mailed that in to Dave and customs tore it apart.

[babysitter]

I think it was something like 10 nuclear powered units still in use, {1-5} years back.
Yes, consider this stuff one-time-use.

[WattsThat]

The primary drug used in those pumps is morphine. Concentration is very low so it is of no real danger, other than possibly possessing a controlled substance illegally (depends on your location).

Those pumps deliver 20 ml of drug over a typical time of 90 days with a continuous infusion so it’s micro liters per day pumped. They really excel at controlling cancer pain so much so that they typically extend terminal patients lives a year or more since the pain can be managed so effectively, unlike oral medications. The only downside is having it implanted. They typically use a wireless patient controller that allows them to self administer a preset number of bolus doses per day as the pain dictates.

Battery life is dependent upon flow rate. Most are good for at least five years.

[james_s]

Why do they have it implanted rather than just worn in a holster or strapped to the body? Seems quite invasive for something that just dispenses a small amount of a drug.

[xrunner]

Why do they have it implanted rather than just worn in a holster or strapped to the body? Seems quite invasive for something that just dispenses a small amount of a drug.

How is the medicine going to get from outside the body to inside the body safely in an active person's life over a long term basis (years) without infections, tubing being torn, etc. ?

Also some of the medicines are highly controlled substances which - believe it or not - people will tamper with if the containment device is out in the open, to get at the controlled substances.

In fact, one of my mom's technicians who filled the pump said some people even tried to insert a needle into the implanted pump to extract the medicine. There is no barrier to stop an attempt to do this. Yes, that is really what some people will do.

[WattsThat]

Druggies gotta drug. There’s not enough morphine in a pump to make it interesting for an addict but they don’t know so they try.

The reason intrathecal delivery is so effective is because the drug goes directly into the cerebral spinal fluid in the spinal cord and then enters the brain directly.

A typical cancer pain dose is 3-5 mg of morphine a day intrathecally. Orally, a patient would receive 100x that amount. The pumps can be a real game changer for the right patients. They also see use for MS patients as well to deliver baclofen and other muscle tone drugs. It’s the continuous infusion that makes the difference.

[james_s]

How is the medicine going to get from outside the body to inside the body safely in an active person's life over a long term basis (years) without infections, tubing being torn, etc. ?

Also some of the medicines are highly controlled substances which - believe it or not - people will tamper with if the containment device is out in the open, to get at the controlled substances.

In fact, one of my mom's technicians who filled the pump said some people even tried to insert a needle into the implanted pump to extract the medicine. There is no barrier to stop an attempt to do this. Yes, that is really what some people will do.

The old fashioned approach of an IV needle is what came to mind, or absorption through the skin. Years ago one of my cats had surgery and he had a fentanyl patch taped to one of his hind legs. If someone wans to tamper with their medication device tha's on them IMO, they'll be sorry later if they use up the drug early.