I am aware of the risk of electric shock if removal of ICD's are not done with care. Does anyone know if the same applies to pacemakers which are similar but not the same and are removed in the funeral home I am working for. (They both have to be removed from bodies before cremation due to the battery causing a risk of explosion in the cremator). There isn't any documentation on how to do it in the home. I have researched but not come up with much apart from the fact that special devices are needed for removal of ICD's. Does anyone have a documented safe system of working for removal of eithor of the above?

I think the poster said funeral home rather than care home. This is something that embalmers do.

See apge 17 & Appendix 4 of "Controlling the risks of infection at work from human remains: A guide for those involved in funeral services (including embalmers) and those involved in exhumation" http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web01.pdf Removal of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) SN2002/(35) MHRA Internet version only available at www.medical-devices.gov.uk