A New Zealand man has resorted to extreme DIY measures by using an electric fence to jumpstart his heart.
Hamilton resident John Griffin suffers from atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular heartbeat that can lead to a stroke.
After an irregular heartbeat persisted for more than 20 hours, the 69-year-old knew he needed medical attention, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Mr Griffin admitted he lost his cool with the senior nurse at Waikato Hospital’s Emergency Department who told him he would have to wait another six hours at the hospital after two arduous hours of testing.
“I asked the nurse if I could go home and come back in say three hours but was refused as she said I would be wiped off the list and would have to start again.”
That’s when the retiree opted for a less conventional method to correcting his deadly ailment.
He drove home, walked over to his neighbours electric fence, kicked his boots off and placed the back of his hand, delivering one almighty shock.
“It gave me a decent belt and [my heart] came right.”
Unsurprisingly though, medical experts are not condoning the backyard medical treatment method.
“We should not be recommending people treat themselves in that way,” Heart Foundation medical director Dr Gerry Devlin told the New Zealand Herald.