Modeling of electromagnetic interference to an implanted cardiac pacemaker due to mobile phones

Modeling the electromagnetic interference (EMI) of pacemakers due to mobile phones is essential to evaluate the EMI level and improve the immunity of pacemakers. The Pacemaker Committee of Japan conducted immunity tests of pacemakers for mobile phones, and consequently concluded that the connector between the pacemaker housing and the lead wire of the electrode plays a major role in the EMI due to mobile phones. Based on this finding, a model for the EMI mechanism was presented, in which the internal impedance looked from the connector and the metal portion consisting of the pacemaker housing and the lead wire of the electrode were considered as a load and two halves of a receiving antenna, respectively. The EMI level induced through the connector was analyzed by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method in conjunction with a torso and mobile phone models. The modeling given here was validated by comparison with the previously reported experimental results