Electromagnetic interference produced by a hearing aid device on electrocardiogram recording

• Published in: Journal of electrocardiology Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 398 - 400
• Main Authors: Baranchuk, Adrian Marco, MD, FACC, Kang, Jaskaran, BSc, Shaw, Cathy, RCT, Witjes, Rita, RN, CCNC
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-09-2008; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Aged, 80 and over; Algorithms; Cardiovascular; Diagnostic Errors - instrumentation; Diagnostic Errors - prevention & control; Electrocardiography - instrumentation; Electrocardiography - methods; Electrodes; Hearing Aids; Humans; Male; Quality Assurance, Health Care - methods; Quality Control; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0022-0736; 1532-8430
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2008.01.008

Abstract An 85-year-old male was implanted with a single-chamber permanent pacemaker because of atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response. The patient had a chronic hearing impairment and decided to buy a hearing aid device. The MyLink device (MyLink, Phonak, Stafa, Switzerland) is a multifrequency FM transmitter/receiver (169.40-176.00 MHz and 214.00-220.00 MHz) with a neck-loop antenna that is designed to be used in combination with a second FM transmitter, which detects sound, produced by an audio source or person, and transmits this information to the MyLink wearer. These transmissions are subsequently converted by the MyLink and sent to the patient's existing hearing aids wirelessly. Given the proximity of the receiver to the left-sided pacemaker pocket, a concern about possible interaction was brought to our attention. Normal functioning of the pacemaker was observed during the test. However, potent electromagnetic interference on electrocardiogram (ECG) recording was induced when the MyLink loop antenna was placed on top or near the ECG electrodes.