EMI’s Potentially Dangerous Impact on Pacemakers (Download)

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Implantation of cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are on the rise. And the population of working-age people with ICDs also is increasing. Medical experts are experiencing growing concerns regarding electromagnetic interference (EMI) that may seriously affect these implanted devices, especially in a work environment with high-level electromagnetic-field (EMF) levels.

Many factors that can affect EMI are difficult to foresee; however, the reduction in field strength with distance is usually predictable. Faraday’s Law states that the induced voltage is proportional to the induction area.