Loss of "pacemaker's identity" following activation of the emergency VVI feature

Electromagnetic signals coming from the pacemaker programmer can permanently damage multiprogrammable pacemakers. At a follow-up of a sixfold programmable VVI pacemaker (Phoenix 251-6, Pacesetter), the emergency VVI button was activated on the programmer after the programming of the pacing impulse had induced a loss of capture. The next telemetrical interrogation revealed an alteration to a threefold programmable Programmalith III. The inadvertent programming of the model number occurred, because the programming head was removed at one very specific time in the programming sequence of the emergency VVI command.