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The Pacemaker Patient and the Electromagnetic Environment

Review

Nicholas P. DrSmyth, Victor Parsonnet, Doris J. W. Escher, Seymour Furman · 1974

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A 1974 study found only ten documented cases of pacemaker interference among some 2,200 patients, none serious and none fatal.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1974 research examined how electromagnetic interference from environmental sources could affect cardiac pacemaker function in patients. The study analyzed the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) on implanted demand pacemakers and found ten documented cases among some 2,200 patients, none serious and none fatal, concluding it was not an important clinical problem at that time.

Why This Matters

This 1974 study assessed the clinical significance of electromagnetic interference with implanted demand pacemakers and concluded it was not an important clinical problem at that time. What makes this research particularly significant is that it documented ten cases of implanted pacemakers affected by EMI among some 2,200 patients, none of them serious and none fatal. The authors stressed that continued vigilance by physicians, manufacturers, and regulators was needed to preserve that status.

Study Details

To analyze the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) on implanted demand pacemakers and assess the clinical significance of such interference.

Four cases occurred in patients whose pacemakers are now obsolete. In our combined experience, compr...

The action of environmental EMI on the patient with an implanted demand pacemaker does not at this time constitute an important clinical problem. Continued vigilance by physician, manufacturer, and government regulatory agency alike is needed to preserve this status.

Cite This Study
Nicholas P. DrSmyth, Victor Parsonnet, Doris J. W. Escher, Seymour Furman (1974). The Pacemaker Patient and the Electromagnetic Environment.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_pacemaker_patient_and_the_electromagnetic_environment_g6977,
  author = {Nicholas P. DrSmyth and Victor Parsonnet and Doris J. W. Escher and Seymour Furman},
  title = {The Pacemaker Patient and the Electromagnetic Environment},
  year = {1974},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

Automobile ignition systems and small electric motors were named as sources of signals that were able to produce, in a few cases, unwanted and potentially dangerous inhibition of the pulse generator.
Among some 2,200 patients, only ten cases of implanted pacemakers affected by EMI were documented, and none was serious or fatal. The authors concluded this did not constitute an important clinical problem and called for continued vigilance by physicians, manufacturers, and regulators.
The study aimed to analyze the effects of electromagnetic interference on implanted demand pacemakers and assess the clinical significance of such interference. It found ten documented cases among some 2,200 patients, none serious and none fatal, and concluded that environmental EMI did not at that time constitute an important clinical problem.
Interference occurred more readily in unipolar than bipolar pacemakers because of the larger antenna area between the electrodes in the unipolar system. Manufacturers responded with several remedial design changes, including shielding and filtration of extraneous signals.
This early research demonstrated that electromagnetic fields could disrupt precisely engineered medical devices, providing concrete evidence that EMF exposure produces measurable biological effects rather than just theoretical concerns.