Interference from a hand held radiofrequency remote control causing discharge of an implantable defibrillator

A 46-year-old man with a history of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia underwent an implantation of a third generation multiprogrammable implantable cardioverter defibrillator. One year post implant, while manipulating a remote control to a radiofrequency modulated toy car, the patient experienced a defibrillator discharge not preceded by an arrhythmia prodrome. Subsequent interrogation of the defibrillator revealed that a 34-joule shock had been delivered and had been preceded by RR intervals ranging from 141-406 msec, consistent with sensing lead noise. The remote control utilizes a 12-volt battery and has a carrier frequency of 75.95 MHz and a modulating frequency of 50 Hz. Evaluation of the remote control and defibrillator interaction revealed that the remote control was able to trigger tachyarrhythmia sensing and reproduce the clinical episode. Interference was present only when the remote control was within 8 cm of the pulse generator and at specific angles relative to the device and only when the antenna length was > 45 cm. Interference was eliminated when a ground wire was attached to the antenna and when an aluminium shield was placed between the pulse generator and the remote control. This case report suggests that patients with third generation multiprogrammable defibrillators should be cautioned against close contact with potential sources of electromagnetic interference, such as remote control units.