CT Scans Causing Electronic Medical Devices to Malfunction

FDA Issues Warning

The FDA has issued a warning to health care professionals about the possibility of x-rays used during CT examinations causing some implanted and external electronic medical devices to malfunction.

FDA has received a small number of reports of adverse events in which CT scans may have interfered with electronic medical devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators, and implanted or externally worn drug infusion pumps. There have been similar reports in the literature.

The FDA notes that malfunctions such as unintended shocks from neurostimulators, malfunctions of insulin infusion pumps, and transient changes in pacemaker output pulse rates, which can result from direct exposure of the medical device to the high x-ray dose rates generated by some CT equipment, are different from those related to MRI scanning, which are caused by strong electric and magnetic fields.

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Published on Jul-15-08