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Interference of cellular phones with implanted permanent pacemakers.

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Chen WH, Lau CP, Leung SK, Ho DS, Lee IS · 1996

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Cell phones can dangerously interfere with pacemakers in 3% of cases when placed directly over the device, even before ringing begins.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested how cell phones affect pacemakers in 29 patients with implanted heart devices. They found that phones caused dangerous interference in 3.1% of tests, including stopping the pacemaker from working properly or making it pace too rapidly. The interference only occurred when phones were placed directly over the pacemaker, not when held to the ear for normal use.

Why This Matters

This 1996 study provides crucial evidence that cell phone radiation can interfere with life-sustaining medical devices. While the 3.1% interference rate might seem low, the consequences are potentially fatal for pacemaker patients. What makes this particularly concerning is that interference occurred even before phones started ringing, meaning patients wouldn't receive warning signs. The study tested phones with power levels of 0.6 to 2 watts, which is comparable to many modern smartphones. The fact that both analog and digital phones caused problems suggests this isn't limited to older technology. The researchers found they could prevent interference by adjusting pacemaker sensitivity settings, but this requires medical intervention and awareness of the risk.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

Our investigation sought to determine systematically the effects of commercially available cellular phones on the performances of different pacing modes and sensing lead configurations of permanent implanted pacemakers.

We conducted the study in 29 patients implanted with single- or dual-chamber bipolar rate-adaptive p...

Interference was demonstrated during cellular phone operation in 74 of 2,418 (3.1%) episodes in eigh...

Commercially available cellular phones can cause reversible interference to implanted single- or dual-chamber permanent pacemakers. The effect is maximal with high atrial unipolar sensitivity, especially in single pass VDD(R) systems. Both digital and analog cellular phones can lead to interference. Pacemaker interference can occur prior to a warning sign (ringing tone) of the phone and may have significant implications in patient safety.

Cite This Study
Chen WH, Lau CP, Leung SK, Ho DS, Lee IS (1996). Interference of cellular phones with implanted permanent pacemakers. Clin Cardiol 19(11):881-886, 1996.
Show BibTeX
@article{wh_1996_interference_of_cellular_phones_1974,
  author = {Chen WH and Lau CP and Leung SK and Ho DS and Lee IS},
  title = {Interference of cellular phones with implanted permanent pacemakers.},
  year = {1996},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8914782/},
}
PubMed: 8914782

Cited By (30 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, unipolar pacemaker leads show significantly higher interference rates from cell phones. Research found unipolar leads experienced interference in 1.8% of tests compared to 0.4% for bipolar leads. Atrial leads were also more susceptible than ventricular leads, with interference rates of 2.9% versus 1%.
Yes, cell phone interference with pacemakers can occur before you hear the ringing tone. A 1996 study found that 57% of pacemaker interference episodes happened both before and after the phone's ringing tone, meaning the interference starts before any audible warning signal.
Cell phones only interfere with pacemakers when placed directly over the pacemaker pocket. The 1996 study found no interference when phones were held normally to the ear for talking. All documented interference occurred only with the phone positioned directly above the implanted device.
Yes, adjusting pacemaker sensitivity settings can successfully prevent cell phone interference. Researchers tested 29 pacemaker patients and found that reprogramming the sensitivity level eliminated interference in all cases where it had previously occurred, providing an effective solution for affected patients.
Yes, both analog and digital cell phones can cause pacemaker interference. The 1996 study tested both technologies and found interference occurred with either type, affecting 3.1% of all tests across 29 pacemaker patients, regardless of whether the phone used analog or digital technology.