Use of bipolar power source for transurethral resection of bladder tumor in patient with implanted pacemaker.

Patients with implanted electrical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and cochlear implants typically must have the device inactivated before surgical procedures in which the use of electrocautery is possible. In situations in which the patient cannot tolerate inactivation of the device even for a short while, the use of a bipolar energy source may allow performance of the procedure without inactivating the device. We report the case of a patient who underwent transurethral resection of a bladder tumor using a bipolar energy source uneventfully despite the presence of an implanted cardioverter defibrillator that was not deactivated before resection.