Lack of effects on heart rate and blood pressure in ketamine-anesthetized rats briefly exposed to ultra-wideband electromagnetic pulses

Abstract

Fourteen Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to pulses produced by a Bournlea ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse generator (rise time, 318-337 ps; maximum E field, 19-21 kV/m). Exposures at a repetition frequency of 1 kHz for 0.5 s or to repetitive pulse trains (2-s exposure periods alternating with 2 s of no exposure, for a total of 2 min) resulted in no significant changes in heart rate or mean arterial blood pressure. These results suggest that acute whole-body exposure to UWB pulses does not have a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system.