Electrocautery (Electrosurgery) Unit's Alleged Interference with a Brain Stimulator

A patient who had a brain stimulator implanted to treat Parkinson's Disease was being treated by a dentist. The dentist used an electrosurgery machine (ESU) as part of that treatment. After the procedure, the patient displayed worse symptoms. It was alleged that using the ESU caused the worsening of symptoms due to the cable's proximity to the stimulator wire.

Expert Findings

After review of the documentation, it was discovered that the alleged interference could not have caused the worsening of patient symptoms :

• The cable from the ESU to the device was shielded and the magnetic field generated was not of sufficient magnitude and frequency to cause interference current in the stimulator wire.
• The current path of the ESU treatment current was in the opposite direction of the stimulator wire.
• The ESU operated as was originally designed.

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