Electromagnetic Interference in Cardiac pacemakers

Abstract

In Japan there are more than 15000 patients with cardiac pacemaker in a year. General surgical procedures in pacemaker patients have become common in recent years. General surgeon must have enough knowledge about surgical problem in pacemaker patients. It has been one of the important problem that the use of electrocautery sometimes interferes in the heart rhythm by pacemaker although there is no report, whether microwave scalpel has influence on the pacemaker rhythm or not. Recently we have alternately used electrocautery and new microwave scalpel (Blade type) on same patient during gastrectomy. In this paper, The influence of the electrocautery and microwave scalpel on the pacemaker function is reported respectively. It is demonstrated that a microwave scalpel has not influenced on the pacemaker rhythm as compared with electrocautery.