Eraldo Occhetta, Laura Plebani,
Gaudenzio Sacchetti*, Giampaolo Trevi.
Divisione Clinicizzata di Cardiologia, Universita degli Studi, Torino, Facolta di
Medicina e Chirurgia, Novara,
*Ufficio Tecnico, Azienda Ospedaliera Maggiore della Carita, Novara, Italy
|
|
Electromagnetic interferences (EMI) of various nature
may affect the correct behaviour of the medical electrical equipments on today's market,
including cardiac pacemakers and implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). A recent
source of potential interferences are analogic or digital mobile telephones. Patients
implanted with a pacemaker or an ICD are so alarmed at such phenomenon, that studies have
been urged in an attempt to evaluate the problem1-5.
Potential risks to pacemaker patients have been widely discussed in literature6-11 and only negligible interferences have been
documented short inhibition, conversion to asynchronous mode or abnormal synchronization
during VDD/DDD stimulation. All these interferences are mainly due to digital mobile phone
in very specific cases.
On the contrary, few data have been published pertaining the more sophisticated
implanted medical devices, such as the cardiac cardioverter/defibrillators, in relation to
EMI interferences12-15.
|
