A method for determining the effects of electromagnetic pulse on cardiac pacemakers

As part of a larger effort to investigate the effects of high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (EMP) simulators on medical electronics, a test method was developed to determine the effects of EMP on cardiac pacemakers (CPMs) without subjecting the CPMs to radiated EMP. The method uses experimental and computational techniques to determine the EMP stress applied to a CPM, and subsequently the strength (response) of a CPM under stress. These experimental results were compared to the results of an independent analytical study, and found to be in good agreement. Although the method developed was specific in its application, the method may be applied to electromagnetic interference studies of CPMs and other medical electronics in general.