Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
The safety of digital mobile cellular telephones with minute ventilation rate adaptive pacemakers
Sparks PB, Mond HG, Joyner KH, Wood MP · 1996
View Original AbstractRate-adaptive pacemakers showed minimal interference from 900-MHz mobile phones, with reliable performance at normal sensitivity settings.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested whether 900-MHz digital mobile phones could interfere with rate-adaptive pacemakers (devices that adjust heart pacing based on breathing patterns). They exposed 16 implanted pacemakers to simulated phone signals and found that at maximum sensitivity settings, 11 of 16 devices showed no interference, while 5 experienced brief effects like extra heartbeats or pauses. When programmed to normal sensitivity levels, only one device showed rare single-beat triggering, demonstrating these pacemakers perform reliably around mobile phones.
Study Details
In vitro tests suggest that rate adaptive pacemakers using changes in transthoracic impedance to vary pacing rate may be affected by digital mobile telephones. Electromagnetic fields generated by digital mobile telephones (Global System for Mobile [GSM]) represent a potential source of electromagnetic interference (EMI) for the Telectronics META rate adaptive pacemakers, which use transthoracic impedance as a sensor to determine changes in minute ventilation.
Sixteen implanted Telectronics META pulse generators were exposed to 25-W simulated GSM transmission...
At maximum sensitivity, 11 of 16 devices displayed no evidence of EMI. Brief ventricular triggering occurred in 2, a brief pause in 1, a combination of both in 1, and a brief episode of pacemaker-mediated tachycardia in 1. With pulse generators programmed to more routine sensitivities, only one device displayed rare single beat ventricular triggering. No changes in minute ventilation rate adaptive pacing were observed. At maximum unipolar sensitivities, the META series of rate adaptive pacemakers are resistant to clinically important EMI from digital mobile telephones. Set at routine sensitivities, these devices perform reliably in the presence of digital mobile telephones.
Show BibTeX
@article{pb_1996_the_safety_of_digital_3415,
author = {Sparks PB and Mond HG and Joyner KH and Wood MP},
title = {The safety of digital mobile cellular telephones with minute ventilation rate adaptive pacemakers},
year = {1996},
url = {https://eurekamag.com/research/047/733/047733773.php},
}