Wires????!!!

[kingpeta]

Magnets

Magnets

For those of you technically inclined (copied from Azom.com):

Background

Magnetic permeability is the ability of a material to carry magnetism, indicated by the degree to which it is attracted to a magnet. All stainless steels, with the exception of the austenitic group, are strongly attracted to a magnet.

Austenitic Grades

All austenitic grades have very low magnetic permeabilities and hence show almost no response to a magnet when in the annealed condition; the situation is, however, far less clear when these steels have been cold worked by wire drawing, rolling or even centreless grinding, shot blasting or heavy polishing. After substantial cold working Grade 304 may exhibit quite strong response to a magnet, whereas Grades 310 and 316 will in most instances still be almost totally non-responsive.

The change in magnetic response is due to atomic lattice straining and formation of martensite. In general, the higher the nickel to chromium ratio the more stable is the austenitic structure and the less magnetic response that will be induced by cold work. Magnetic response can therefore be used as a method for sorting grades of stainless steel, but considerable caution needs to be exercised.

My guess is there are many varieties or grades of wire used. Some may be magnetic and others not. I would also guess if you asked your surgeon, he would have no clue what grade of wire he uses!

 

[pipersmith]

Hysterical....

Hysterical....

Ok now I am wondering which is weirder, that I am reading this thread or that I just went up and tried a fridge magnet on my chest..... which did stick the first time I tried it.
Now I remind you, I had wires in my chest since I was 5 years old. I never once tried to stick magnets to my chest till I read this!

you all are cracking me up!! I find myself hoping for the stick - and I haven't even had the surgery yet!!

 

[Marguerite53]

You can pull in a 550 pound marlin with dacron line and it doesn't stretch! I never thought of it until you mentioned it and obviously not many doctors have either. It sure would prevent a lot of problems caused by the wires

THANK YOU, Joe, for that information! (after I mentioned that my sternum was pulled back together with dacron thread). I do a lot of sewing with polyester threads and they unravel! Hopefully the fact that I still feel to have been wound too tightly isn't a reflection of their needing to have been some stretch room. Time will tell.

I still feel somewhat cheated! Those magnet tricks look fun!

Marguerite

 

[Bob M.]

Thanks for the information on Stainless Steel, Pete; we learn something new every day. I suspect that the stainless steel wires that are holding us together have been cold drawn for strength; I know it is a high quality stainless steel that the body will tolerate. I didn a little test with a kitchen knife made of stainless. The magnet stuck to the blade, but not to the handle. The blade needs to be much harder so is made of a different composition than the handle, or perhaps processed differently.

 

[Susan BAV]

My wires are a bit irritating, especially if I think about them. But, I try not to bother them so they won't bother me. And the fridge magnet stuck. And, on an international flight this past July, I set off the metal detector; I've never done that before and the only metal on me/in me was the sternum wires. Very strange, I thought.

 

[diegocentrico]

oh it didnt work when i read this thread at work i was planning to make a show for my nefwes! . i have seen my wires in X-ray so arent they metal

 

[hensylee]

not to worry, Solmaz - mine don't stick either.

 

[Matt]

looked over the xray tech's shoulder at my xray 2 weeks post op. Just like you have said. Loops right down the middle. Can't find a fridge magnet yet...
may have to go buy on just to test it out! By the way, for those of you who have seen your xrays..... I noticed about 4 wires going into my heart and asked the tech. "Those are the ends of the wires from your external pacemaker that you had on in CICU. They just cut the ends of and leave them in there" Anyone else see those???

 

[Turkey Hunter]

My external pacemaker wires were completely pulled out.
i was awake & it was one day before they let me go home.
BTW, It was one of the oddest feelings I can remember. No real pain, just very odd.

Ben

 

[Dennis S]

Mri

Mri

If these wires cause magnets to stick, what are the implications for an MRI?

 

[hensylee]

I told the staff of my wires before MRI and they told me not to worry.

 

[Dennis S]

Mri

Mri

I had an MRI and had the same experience. But, magnets are not attracted to my chest (as best I can tell). However, if relatively low strength magnets (such as you have on your fridge) are attracted to wires in your chest, I would want a detailed explanation as to why the the very substantial magnetic forces in an MRI wouldn't cause a problem.

I had always heard that MRIs were safe because nothing that would be attracted to a magnet is placed in the body. Has anyone else heard this, and if so, what is going on here?

 

[Turkey Hunter]

I can get a mgnet to stick almost anywhere on my scar and have had two MRI's since my OHS and have had no ill effects.
I will also be having an MRI of my chest cavity during my annual check-up this November, so I will ask a bunch of questions about it and try to get any answer I am given posted here.

Ben

 

[Bob M.]

As to the pacemaker wires, I was told that they usually include those in the surgery; that it is standard practice. I had a friend that had OHS for aortic valve repair who had to have a pacemaker. It is my understanding that during the surgery they may cut through some nerves that affect heart rhythm so that the patient may very well have to have a pacemaker. I didn't, but the wires are still there.

 

[hensylee]

the pacer wires were left in me until the time of discharge. I don't recall if they cut them or just what they did - I didn't look. I have two small scars where they were.