Numerical and metrological investigations for pacemakers with unipolar and bipolar electrodes in electric and magnetic fields

Abstract

The disturbance in active medical implants, especially heart pacemakers (PMK), in the low frequency range is still actual in spite of many studies performed in this area. In low-frequency electric fields the analytic calculation of the induced voltage at the pacemaker entrance is always based on a homogeneous electric field. In this paper a procedure is introduced which allows a conversion for inhomogeneous electric fields. Furthermore numerical simulations for unipolar and bipolar electrodes in a human torso model are compared with measurements in an electrolytic solution. These results permit to calculate the safety factor of the bipolar electrode compared with that of the unipolar electrode.