Use of Spinal Cord Stimulators in Patients With Pacemakers or Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators: A Review of Documented Accounts of Interference.

Objectives: To assess the currently available evidence regarding associations between spinal cord stimulator (SCS) lead type, clinical indications for device placement, and interference between SCSs and cardiac pacemakers (CPMs)/implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).

Study Design: Review of case reports and original research studies assessing the interference between SCS and CPM/ICD.

Materials And Methods: PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for articles commenting on the interference between SCS and CPM/ICD. The search criteria which generated the greatest number of relevant studies was (spinal cord stimulator AND [pacemaker OR implantable cardioverter defibrillator]). Additional, empiric review was conducted using JSTOR, ScienceDirect, and EBSCOhost databases; however, no additional eligible studies were identified. Data were extracted, summarized into tables, and quantitatively analyzed using LibreTexts and MedCalc software.

Results: There was no statistically significant interference observed between SCS and CPM/ICD devices in patients regardless of indication for SCS placement and SCS lead polarity.

Limitations: Limited by variability of patient cases and variability in maximum frequency and amplitude of SCS devices tried in individual cases. Also limited by small sample size and the absence of a standard definition for device interference across studies.

Conclusions: Interference between cardiac devices and SCSs is a rare occurrence. As there are currently no published guidelines, devices should be interrogated on a case-by-case basis in the SCS trial period (if implanted after cardiac device), during permanent implantation, and during scheduled follow-up visits. Peri-operative testing should include increasing the SCS settings to maximally tolerated levels with cardiac device set at its maximum sensitivity.