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Maladjustment of pressure settings of a programmable shunt valve by electromagnetic door locks in Forensic Psychiatry – a case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

C. Licht ,
R. Weisser  and
C. Schloegl
C. Licht*
Affiliation:
Paracelsus Medical University Clinic Nuremberg, Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Nuernberg, Germany
R. Weisser
Affiliation:
medbo Regensburg, Forensic Psychiatry, Regensburg, Germany
C. Schloegl
Affiliation:
medbo Regensburg, Forensic Psychiatry, Regensburg, Germany
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Maladjustments and failures of programmable ventriculo-peritoneal shunts have been reported in patients encountering powerful electromagnetic fields, e. g. MRI.

We describe the case of a 53-year old man treated for hydrocephalus with a programmable Codman-Hakim shunt valve. During his hospitalization in Forensic Psychiatry, the patient’s valve pressure setting changed randomly despite frequent reprogramming and surveillance.

Objectives

Maladjustments and failures of programmable ventriculo-peritoneal shunts have been reported in cases in which patients have encountered powerful electromagnetic fields, e.g., MRI. Through a case, this study shows easy maladjustment of a Codman-Hakim programmable valve also by small magnetic fields from everyday life.

Methods

A 53-year old man presented with periventricular hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis. The patient was treated with a left ventriculo-peritoneal Codman-Hakim programmable shunt valve. During his hospitalization in Forensic Psychiatry, the patient’s valve pressure setting changed randomly, presumably by walking through electromagnetically controlled doors of a hospital ward. With a test dummy, changes in pressure settings were tracked.

Results

Both - pressure settings of the patient’s Codman-Hakim programmable valve as well as pressure settings of a new valve - were unwantedly modified simply by walking through standard doors in a hospital ward.

Conclusions

Thus already weak magnetic fields (< 200 mT) might cause changes in the pressure settings of programmable shunt valves and therefore lead to maladjustment. Patients should be informed and pay attention to using everyday life’s devices, like rod magnets or mobile phones.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

maladjustmentCodman-Hakim programmable shunt valvemagnetic fieldcase report
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S605
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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