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Re: A dangerous thing?

Hi All,
    Has anyone heard from Dwight Duncan and his pig powered
magnifier?..........


----- Original Message -----
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 1999 12:14 AM
Subject: Re: A dangerous thing?


Original Poster: Mark Finnis <mefinnis-at-medicine.adelaide.edu.au>

At 20:52 13/05/99 -0600, Terry Fritz wrote:

> I don't mean to be morbid in our usually upbeat group but once in a
while
>we need to stop and remember.  Ours is a VERY dangerous hobby!  Below
are
>the brief accounts of the three people (that I am aware of) who have
been
>killed...

... SNIP ...

>It should be noted that the last two of these incidents may have gone
>unnoticed if it were not for the Internet.  The possibility of there
being
>others that we don't know about is very high.

Yes, I too was killed once, but I didn't tell anyone ;-)

But seriously, Terry is quite right.  Many coilers are not in groups
and
unless the incident is non-fatal (such as the recent episode of
Cabbott's
finger) it is more likely *not* to be reported.

There is just no gain in the fancy "stage stunts".  You can have
plenty of
fun with HV without exposing yourself to obvious risk.  I see plenty
death,
misery and sorry in my work ........ I don't want to hear about it on
the
weekend when I'm relaxing !

The comments about RF not inducing VT/VF and death are **relatively**
correct.  The propensity to induce VF depends upon:

1.  the current passing through the heart (skin resistance and current
path), both of which vary (determined in part by Volts)

2.  frequency, viz.

Current to induce VF
  ^
  |                                                           *
  |                                                     *
  |                                               *
  |                                           *
  |                                       *
  |                                   *
  |  *                            *
  |    *                     *
  |        *            *
  |_______*_________________________________>  increasing F

.... and YES, the nadir *is* at 50-60 Hz

3.  duration to a variable extent.

4.  The individuals predisposition to cardiac arrhythmia.  A
significant
proportion of the population have an anomalous pathway between atria
and
ventricles and are at **far greater** risk of induced arrhythmia.
Problem
is, you don't know until you get it !!
___________________________

Now, you don't need to be Einstein to work out from the above, one
man's
cute HV demo is another man's demise.

Remember the safety FAQ document <http://www.pupman-dot-com/safety.htm>
for
those few who haven't read this it should be considered mandatory.

Now, IF you are still going to perform the highly dangerous, remember
to
NEVER work alone and to have your "mates" well trained in CPR.  But
then as
we heard from Terry's post, this doesn't always guarantee a good
outcome.

cheers

mark

..... from the "Halls of Endless Sorrow"



___________________________________________________________

Mark Finnis Hm:  61 8 82895205
Staff Specialist Wk:  61 8 82224000
Intensive Care Unit Fax:  61 8 82236340
Royal Adelaide Hospital Mbl:  041 23242268
www.health.adelaide.edu.au/icu
___________________________________________________________