Clinical Investigation of a Multi-Programmer

Summary

Between April and December 1982, 200 programmations were made through an MP in 156 patients treated by 26 various programmable P. M. made by 13 companies.

The MP is made of a micro-computer connected to an interface terminated by 4 different programming heads. 3 accidents:

• 1 electrical shock without consequences, 2 cardiac arrests were observed during the first attempts of programmation. Impossible or difficult programmations occurred in 25% of the cases. They were related to several causes:

• insufficient power of the signals, lack of specificity of the programming heads. Improvements of the circuits, the design of two additional programming heads solved most of the problems. Erroneous programmations occurring in 6% of the cases were related to errors in the programmation of the software. Debugging immediately corrected these potentially dangerous behaviours.

In May 1983, the MP is capable of programming 66 PM made by 13 Companies. Its advantages are: reliability, simplicity, MP replacing or doubling individual programmers, other capabilities such as photoanalysis, mementoes, the suppression of the implanting physicians dependence of the manufacturers. The disadvantages are: the slowness of the system, occasional programming difficulties, the absence of telemetry (these faults should be corrected in the near future), possible legal problems. The future of the MP depends on the absence or presence of a consensus between pacemaker Companies, the complexity of the future programming system making it extremely difficult for an independent Company to keep it up to date.