Key result
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation caused intermittent and minor electromagnetic interference in 15.9% of patients with modern implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
Why the study?
TENS is considered contraindicated in ICD patients due to electromagnetic interference, but existing data may be outdated given advances in ICD and CRT filtering and noise protection algorithms.
Does transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) cause electromagnetic interference in patients with modern implantable cardioverter-defibrillators?
Population
107 patients with 55 different models of ICD/CRT with defibrillators from 4 manufacturers
Comparison
TENS at the cervical spine vs thorax and high-frequency (80 Hz) vs burst-mode (2 Hz)
Design
Pilot safety study
Authors
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May warrant supervised TENS testing before use in ICD patients; leaves open whether manufacturer-specific risks require prospective validation.
Observational (n=107)
Does transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) cause electromagnetic interference in patients with modern implantable cardioverter-defibrillators?
TENS causes only intermittent and minor electromagnetic interference in patients with modern ICDs, suggesting it may be safe if preceded by supervised testing.
Arain et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices (n=107). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was evaluated on Occurrence of electromagnetic interference. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation caused intermittent and minor electromagnetic interference in 15.9% of patients with modern implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
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