More than a million pacemakers are implanted worldwide each year, and that figure does not account for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, spinal cord stimulators, insulin pumps, deep brain stimulators, or the dozens of other battery-powered devices now routinely placed inside the human body. When someone with one of these devices dies, a question most families have never considered suddenly becomes urgent: what happens to it now, and who is responsible for dealing with it?
Why Implanted Devices Cannot Simply Be Left in Place
For burial, the answer depends on the device and the cemetery. For cremation, there is no flexibility. Modern pacemakers and ICDs contain lithium-ion batteries that become dangerously unstable at the temperatures reached inside a cremation chamber, which regularly exceed 800 degrees Celsius. The result is a violent explosion capable of damaging the retort, injuring staff, and sending metal fragments through the chamber at high force. This is not a theoretical risk. Documented incidents have occurred in crematoria across multiple countries, and the removal of all battery-powered implants before cremation is now standard operating procedure at most facilities.
Devices like insulin pumps and neurostimulators raise similar concerns, though the specific hazards vary by device type. What they share is a battery, internal circuitry, and a casing that behaves unpredictably under extreme heat.
Who Actually Does the Removal
This is the part families are rarely told clearly. In most cases, a trained funeral director or mortician handles the removal, and it does not require a surgeon. The procedure is straightforward for standard pacemakers and ICDs, where the generator sits just below the skin near the collarbone. Deeper or more complex devices, including some neurostimulators and implanted drug pumps, may require the involvement of a pathologist or clinical technician, depending on placement and local protocols.
Reputable funeral homes Brisbane and across Australia will ask directly about implanted devices during the first call with the family. This is not a formality. It is a safety and legal obligation, and families who are unsure should say so rather than assume the device will be identified during preparation.
What Happens to the Device After Removal
Once removed, the device cannot be placed in general waste. It is classified as hazardous electronic waste due to its battery and metal components and must be processed through regulated medical waste channels. Some funeral providers participate in donation programs that recycle functioning devices for patients in lower-income countries. The American Heart Association has reported on collaborative programs between funeral directors, physicians, and nonprofits that collect explanted pacemakers and ICDs for sterilisation and reuse, with researchers estimating tens of thousands of viable devices are discarded each year that could instead save lives. Families who want to explore this option can ask their provider directly, though availability varies.
A Detail Worth Getting Right
Device removal is handled quietly and professionally as part of routine preparation, and most families will never know it happened. What matters is that the information reaches the right people in time. A brief conversation at the point of engagement, one that most funeral providers will initiate themselves, is all it takes to ensure the process proceeds safely and without incident.
