The interference threshold of unipolar cardiac pacemakers in extremely low frequency magnetic fields

Abstract

The effective induction loop area of implanted cardiac pacemaker (CPM) systems in magnetic fields was determined. The results were verified in a tank model placed in the centre of a Helmholtz-coil-arrangement. Both a left and a right pectorally implanted unipolar dual chamber CPM system were simulated. On this basis and with the results of benchmark-tests the interference thresholds for a collection of modern CPMs in extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields were estimated. The investigations clearly showed that there are two loops, the CPM-lead-tissue-loop and the body loop, responsible for the magnitude of the disturbance voltage on the input of a cardiac pacemaker. The effective induction loop areas ranged from 100 to 221 cm2. For a left pectorally implanted, atrially controlled CPM system the interference thresholds for the magnetic induction lay between 16 and 552 µ T (RMS) for frequencies of the magnetic field between 10 and 250 Hz. Thus, there is a limited possibility for an interference of implanted CPMs by ELF magnetic fields in everyday life.