Keep smartphones away from pacemakers

Danger: Smartphones should not be used too close to pacemakers
People who have implanted a pacemaker should keep their smartphone as far away from them as possible. The medical devices could otherwise be disturbed. In some cases, life-threatening heart stuttering or palpitations can be the result.

Function of the medical devices could be disturbed
For people who have implanted a pacemaker or defibrillator, the following applies: Beware of electrical appliances. These patients should not carry their smartphone directly over the heart device and hold it to the ear on the other side when making a phone call. In the "Apotheken Umschau" (8/2015 A) Dr. Ing. Carsten Lennerz from the German Heart Center in Munich, who emphasizes that the electromagnetic fields in rare cases disturb the function of medical devices and pacemakers misinterpret the cell phone signals as heart activity and could stop the stimulation of the heart rhythm. According to the information, an implanted defibrillator could give an electric shock by mistake.

Smartphones can cause interference with pacemakers. Picture: sudok1-fotolia

Keep away from the body by 15 centimeters
For other electronic devices such as tablets, such security measures apply. As experts have warned in the past, these should not be used by patients with pacemakers, especially lying down, since there is a risk that the user falls asleep during the application and the device is placed on the upper body. Dr. Norbert Smetak from the German Association of Established Cardiologists (BNK) in Munich had pointed out in this context years ago that carriers of a pacemaker should keep electrical appliances at least 15 centimeters away from him. (Ad)