User's Manual

134
Cautionary Notes

To avoid skeletal myopotentials interfering with pacemaker functioning,
a lower sensitivity (a higher value), bipolar sensing, or a different
pacing mode can be programmed, depending on the availability of
these features.
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
Every implanted pacemaker can be affected by interference with
signals that the pacemaker sees as intrinsic cardiac activity and/or
that compromise measurements the pacemaker uses for rate
adaptation. Depending on the pacing mode and the type of
interference, these sources of interference may lead to pacemaker
pulse inhibition or triggering, an increase in the sensor-dependent
pacing rate, or a fixed-rate pulse delivery. Under unfavorable
conditions, for example during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures,
the interference sources may induce such a high level of energy into
the artificial pacing system that the pacemaker and/or cardiac tissue
around the lead tip is damaged.
BIOTRONIK pacemakers have been designed so that their susceptibility
to EMI is minimized. However, due to the variety and intensity of EMI,
absolute safety is not possible.
It is generally assumed that EMI produces only minor symptoms, if
any, in pacemaker patients.