Environmental and drug effects on patients with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators -: A practical guide to patient treatment

The potential for interaction between pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/ defibrillators (ICDs) and the medical and nonmedical environment, and between these devices and certain cardioactive drugs, has been recognized for years. Whereas a number of experimental and clinical studies have been performed to define some of these interactions, in man): instances data are sparse and anecdotal clinical experiences form the basis for decision making and recommendations. Nevertheless, given the proliferation of rhythm-management devices in use in the population today, practitioners may find a guide to management of these patients helpful. This management guideline is therefore offered not as an extensive, literature-based review, but as a framework on which to understand specific types of problems that may be encountered in the daily lives of patients who have such implanted devices.