6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body

Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Cardiovascular

Is there a risk for interaction between mobile phones and single lead VDD pacemakers?

No Effects Found

Nowak B, Rosocha S, Zellerhoff C, Liebrich A, Himmrich E, Voigtlander T, Meyer J · 1996

View Original Abstract
Share:

Mobile phones showed no interference with pacemakers even in direct contact at 2 watts, higher than today's typical smartphone emissions.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested whether mobile phones could interfere with single lead VDD pacemakers (a specific type of heart device) by placing a 2-watt cellular phone directly on the skin of 31 patients near their pacemakers. They found no interference with any of the three different pacemaker models tested, even when the devices were programmed to their most sensitive settings.

Why This Matters

This 1996 study provides important early evidence about mobile phone safety for pacemaker patients, though the technology landscape has changed dramatically since then. The researchers used a 2-watt phone, which was typical for that era but significantly more powerful than today's smartphones that typically emit 0.6 watts or less. What makes this study particularly relevant is that they tested VDD pacemakers under worst-case conditions - programming them to maximum sensitivity and placing the phone in direct skin contact within 5 centimeters of the device. The fact that no interference occurred even under these extreme test conditions suggests a reasonable safety margin. However, as wireless technology has evolved to include new frequencies and transmission patterns, ongoing research remains important for pacemaker patients who want to use modern devices safely.

Study Details

To study is there a risk for interaction between mobile phones and single lead VDD pacemakers

We evaluated 31 patients with three types of single lead VDD pacemakers: 12 Unity, 292-07 (Intermedi...

In our group of patients with three different types of single lead VDD pacemakers, no interference c...

Therefore, the risk of interference seems to be low for the VDD pacemakers tested, although our study design does not allow to entirely exclude the possibility of interference from a mobile phone.

Cite This Study
Nowak B, Rosocha S, Zellerhoff C, Liebrich A, Himmrich E, Voigtlander T, Meyer J (1996). Is there a risk for interaction between mobile phones and single lead VDD pacemakers? Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 19(10):1447-1450, 1996.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_1996_is_there_a_risk_3274,
  author = {Nowak B and Rosocha S and Zellerhoff C and Liebrich A and Himmrich E and Voigtlander T and Meyer J},
  title = {Is there a risk for interaction between mobile phones and single lead VDD pacemakers?},
  year = {1996},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8904534/},
}
PubMed: 8904534

Cited By (37 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 1996 study tested 2-watt digital phones directly on the skin of 31 patients with single lead VDD pacemakers and found no interference with any of the three different pacemaker models tested, even at their most sensitive settings.
Research shows single lead VDD pacemakers appear safe around D-net digital mobile phones. When researchers tested 31 patients using 2-watt phones placed directly on skin near the devices, no interference occurred with any pacemaker model.
No, VDD pacemaker settings remained completely unchanged after mobile phone exposure in a 1996 study. Researchers found that programmed values stayed the same even when 2-watt digital phones were placed directly on patients' skin.
The 1996 study tested three different types of single lead VDD pacemaker models for mobile phone interference. All models showed no interference when exposed to 2-watt digital D-net phones, even at maximum sensitivity settings.
Direct skin contact between digital phones and VDD pacemakers appears safe based on 1996 research. Scientists placed 2-watt phones directly on patients' skin near their pacemakers and detected no interference, though complete risk exclusion wasn't possible.