If a battery-powered implanted device needs to be removed, the certifying doctor should indicate this on Form AB.
The type of device should be specified.
Embalmers usually remove these devices (noting that leadless pacemakers can be left in situ).
This needs to be clearly documented on Form AB
The standard Form AB offers 3 options for the certifying doctor (since May 2026) who has examined the body after death:
- I am satisfied that the body does not contain a cardiac pacemaker or any other battery-powered device; or
- The body contains a [specify type: … cardiac pacemaker or battery-powered device, and I am satisfied that this is not a device that needs to be removed before cremation; or
- The body contains a [specify type: …] cardiac pacemaker or battery-powered device that must be removed before cremation.
Verbal messages to the funeral director are unreliable - partly because families sometimes change funeral directors “mid-stream” and there is a compounding risk of miscommunication.
The embalmer can then issue a separate certificate to be viewed by the medical referee, confirming that the battery-powered evice has been removed. This form is endorsed by the Ministry of Health.