Rapid ventricular pacing due to electrocautery: a case report and review.

It is well known that the use of electrocautery during surgery can interfere with the functioning of pacemakers. The most common problem is that the electrocautery is interpreted by the pacemaker as cardiac electrical activity, which inhibits the pacemaker from firing, leading to bradycardia. The use of electrocautery in a site remote from the pacemaker generator normally does not cause interference.