Inappropriate Shocks Delivered by an ICD as a Result of Sensed Potentials from a Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation Unit

Abstract

Although the potential for transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS) units to interfere with appropriate function of cardiac pacemakers is well documented, an adverse interaction between a TENS unit and an ICD has never been reported. We describe a patient in whom a TENS unit created an electrical artifact that was interpreted by a transvenous ICD as ventricular fibrillation, leading to the delivery of inappropriate therapy. TENS units should be used with caution in patients with ICDs.