Electro-acupuncture therapy in a patient with a total artificial heart. 


Author: Gopalan R, Scott R, Arabia F, Chandrasekaran K.

Affiliation: 1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Mayo Clinic, Arizona, USA. 
Conference/Journal: Acupunct Med. 
Date published: 2011 Nov 4
Other:
  Word Count: 73  
    Interaction between the electrical system of implanted cardiovascular devices and electrical stimulation of acupuncture points (electro-acupuncture) can be life-threatening. As a result, there is reluctance to use this modality in patients who have been implanted with any cardiac device. A patient with a total artificial heart was successfully treated with electro-acupuncture for inflammatory arthritis without any adverse events. This case illustrates the safety of electro-acupuncture in patients with a total artificial heart.



PMID: 22057479