This sounds fake.
1973–83: Doctors put 151 plutonium‑powered pacemakers into 131 people.
Yes, some heartbeats were literally paced by plutonium—and they kept going for years.
The part that checks out ↘
It really happened.
From 1973 to January 1983, one clinical program implanted 151 plutonium‑powered pacemakers in 131 people. The devices proved unusually durable: about 92% of power units were still working at ten years, and 90 generators remained in service when the program ended. Most swaps happened for medical pacing needs rather than power failure, showing that the tiny nuclear sources outlasted the electronics they drove.
It recasts “nuclear” from reactors and spacecraft to something small and steady enough to live under the skin, working for years without a battery change.
No folklore. Actual sources.
- 1 A Decade of Nuclear Pacing
Exact counts (151 devices in 131 patients), timeframe (April 1973–January 1983), and longevity data (10‑year actuarial survival 92%; 90 generators still in service).
doi.org
- 2 The isotopic cardiac pacer: a ten‑year experience
Independent clinical evidence that Pu‑238 isotopic pacemakers exhibited superior longevity and reliability over up to 10 years, corroborating the “long service lifetimes” claim.
doi.org
- 3 Pacemaker (Medtronic nuclear-powered model), collection record nmah_724174
Confirms existence and circa‑1973 manufacture/use of nuclear‑powered pacemakers (context for technology and period).
americanhistory.si.edu
- 4 Atomic pacemaker recipients hold reunion
Reports approximately 150 nuclear pacemaker implants at the center over the decade, aligning with the primary source’s totals and timeframe.
upi.com