The woman’s physicians outlined the case in an article published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. The patient’s neck dystonia has been treated with a deep brain stimulation device for five years with good results, but when lighting struck her apartment, the electromagnetic forces interfered with the device and shut it down.
The patient learned the device had been shut off when her spasms returned an hour after the storm. She went to an outpatient clinic where they turned the stimulator back on, but the article’s authors warned other patients with similar implants to stay away from electromagnetic forces such as generators or certain medical equipment.
More articles on hospital-physician relationships:
Why a Google engineer left Silicon Valley to attend USC Keck medical school
4 Harvard Medical School physicians elected to National Academy of Sciences
NYU surgeon resigns following investigation into alleged inappropriate relationships with patients
