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Cardiovascular

Electromagnetic Immunity of Implantable Pacemakers Exposed to Wi-Fi Devices.

No Effects Found

Mattei E, Censi F, Triventi M, Calcagnini G · 2014

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Modern pacemakers remained unaffected by Wi-Fi signals even at five times normal power levels, confirming robust electromagnetic immunity.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Italian researchers tested 10 modern pacemakers from five manufacturers to see if Wi-Fi signals could interfere with their life-saving functions. They exposed the devices to Wi-Fi radiation at levels five times higher than what's legally allowed for commercial devices. None of the pacemakers showed any performance problems, even at these elevated exposure levels.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 2.40 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 2.40 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: 2.4 GHz

Study Details

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential for electromagnetic interference (EMI) and to assess the immunity level of implantable pacemakers (PM) when exposed to the radiofrequency (RF) field generated by Wi-Fi devices.

Ten PM from five manufacturers, representative of what today is implanted in patients, have been tes...

The results of this study mitigate concerns about using Wi-Fi devices close to PM: none of the PM te...

In conclusion, Wi-Fi devices do not pose risks of EMI to implantable PM. The immunity level of modern PM is much higher than the transmitting power of RF devices operating at 2.4 GHz

Cite This Study
Mattei E, Censi F, Triventi M, Calcagnini G (2014). Electromagnetic Immunity of Implantable Pacemakers Exposed to Wi-Fi Devices. Health Phys. 107(4):318-325, 2014.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2014_electromagnetic_immunity_of_implantable_3237,
  author = {Mattei E and Censi F and Triventi M and Calcagnini G},
  title = {Electromagnetic Immunity of Implantable Pacemakers Exposed to Wi-Fi Devices.},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25162422/},
}
PubMed: 25162422

Cited By (9 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, WiFi routers do not interfere with modern pacemakers. Italian researchers tested 10 pacemakers from five manufacturers and found no performance problems even when exposed to WiFi signals five times stronger than legally allowed levels.
Yes, it's safe to use WiFi devices with a pacemaker. A 2014 study found that modern pacemakers showed no degradation in performance when exposed to 2.4 GHz WiFi radiation at levels far exceeding normal household exposure.
You can use WiFi devices at normal distances from your pacemaker safely. Research shows modern pacemakers maintain full functionality even when exposed to WiFi signals five times stronger than commercial devices are allowed to emit.
Yes, modern pacemakers have immunity levels much higher than WiFi transmitting power. Testing of 10 different pacemaker models found their built-in protection completely prevents interference from 2.4 GHz WiFi radiation at all tested levels.
Five major pacemaker manufacturers had their devices tested for WiFi interference in this Italian study. All 10 tested pacemakers, regardless of manufacturer, showed complete immunity to 2.4 GHz WiFi radiation even at excessive exposure levels.