Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Digital cellular telephone interaction with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
Fetter JG, Ivans V, Benditt DG, Collins J, · 1998
View Original AbstractDigital cell phones don't interfere with ICDs during normal use, but should be kept at least 6 inches away from the implanted device.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested whether digital cell phones interfere with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), life-saving devices that shock the heart back into normal rhythm when dangerous arrhythmias occur. Testing 41 patients with ICDs and various phone models, they found no interference with normal ICD function during typical phone use. However, placing a phone directly on top of an ICD (within half a centimeter) could temporarily disable the device's ability to detect dangerous heart rhythms.
Study Details
This study sought to determine, in vivo, whether electromagnetic interference (EMI), generated by North American Digital Communications (NADC)/Time Division Multiple Access-50-Hz (TDMA-50) mobile cellular digital telephone model AT&T 6650, disturbs normal implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) operation and to verify these observations in vitro by testing a selection of telephones representing worldwide systems.
The effects of cellular phone interference on the operation of various models of market-released ICD...
None of the ICDs tested in 41 patients were affected by oversensing of the EMI field of the cellular...
We conclude that TDMA-50 cellular telephones did not interfere with these types of ICDs. However, we recommend that the patient not carry or place the digital cellular telephone within 15 cm (6 in.) of the ICD.
Show BibTeX
@article{jg_1998_digital_cellular_telephone_interaction_3018,
author = {Fetter JG and Ivans V and Benditt DG and Collins J and},
title = {Digital cellular telephone interaction with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.},
year = {1998},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9502645/},
}