The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 24, 258-263, Copyright © 1977 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Low-cost daily pacemaker monitoring system
G Benzing 3d, R Iltis, S Kaplan, JT Schreiber and J Helmsworth
To reduce the cost of pacemaker monitoring, we developed an inexpensive
cardiac pacemaker interval monitor that detects electromagnetic radiation
of the electrical pulse generated by an implanted pacemaker. The pulse
interval is timed by logic systems and a piezoelectric crystal. Pulse
interval is computed to the nearest 0.1 msec. The device is battery powered
and can be used at home by the patient to monitor pulse interval daily with
little cost after the initial expenditure. The unit may also be used by the
physician to detect the stability or constancy of random variation of the
pulse interval. From a daily record of measurements of the pulse interval,
limits are set by the physician to predict impending battery exhaustion.
Eight patients have been monitored for up to 24 months.