Electromagnetic interference coupling into cardiac pacemaker electrodes

Abstract

Cardiac pacemakers (PMKs) are vital for many persons sufferering from heart diseases, and a malfunction of those devices can have terrible consequences for their wearers. The main source of malfunctions is the PMK's electrode which acts linke an antenna. An incident electromagnetic field can couple into the electrode and cause an interference voltage at the PMK's input connector. This signal can be misinterpreted as the electrocardiogram (ECG) of the heart and mislead the PMK to wrong reactions. This paper presents the results of series simulations for calculating the maximum input voltage as a function of the electical field strength of a plane wave penetrating the human body.