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You are here: Home / Known effects / EMFs and medical devices / Consequences if interference does occur with an implanted heart device

Consequences if interference does occur with an implanted heart device

The real-life experience is that power lines do not interfere with implanted heart devices.  But it is theoretically possible for interference to occur, so it is important to ask what the consequences would be.  But we stress this is theoretical: there is no known instance of power lines causing interference with a correctly fitted modern heart device in the UK.

Consequences for pacemakers

A pacemaker, when it detects interference, normally reverts to asynchronous pacing mode (that is, instead of sensing what the heart is trying to do and reinforcing it, it makes the heart beat at a fixed constant rate).  This is not the best mode of operation for the patient, but is very unlikely to be harmful.

Consequences for defibrillators (ICDs)

An ICD could be inhibited from delivering a defibrillating pulse when it is needed.  This would clearly present a serious hazard for the patient (though the probability of the heart needing defibrillating at the exact moment the device was inhibited would normally be very low). There is mixed evidence on whether this can actually happen or not.  Some sources list it as a possibility, but other, more detailed, sources suggest inhibition can be produced by high static magnetic fields, but not from alternating fields such as produced by power lines.

An ICD could be falsely triggered to deliver a defibrillating pulse when one is not needed.  This carries some hazard to the patient, though it would not necessarily be fatal.

Are any effects permanent?

In all cases, manufacturers advise that any interference should be only temporary.  The device should not be damaged in any way and should work correctly again as soon as the interference is removed.

Advice to patients

Any interference with an implanted heart device must be treated as a potentially serious hazard.  However, in the case of pacemakers, it is unlikely to harm the patient, and in the case of ICDs, the potentially really serious consequence, inhibition when a shock is required, may not be caused by alternating fields, only by static fields.  In practice, interference with implanted heart devices from power lines does not appear to occur.  But the likelihood of interference may vary from individual to individual, for example depending on the installation of the leads and the sensitivity settings of the device.  Patients with concerns should consult their cardiologists.

See also:

  • Information on medical devices
  • Medical device manufacturers
  • Standards which apply to medical devices

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Navigation
  • What are EMFs
    • Terminology – an introduction
    • Electric fields
    • Magnetic fields
    • Units for measuring EMFs
    • Measuring and calculating EMFs
      • “EMF Commercial”
    • Adding fields together
    • Radiofrequencies
    • Screening EMFs
  • Sources
    • Overhead power lines
      • Fields from specific power lines
        • 400 kV
        • 400 kV – specific cases
        • 275 kV
        • 132 kV
        • 66 kV
        • 33 kV
        • 11 kV
        • 400 V/230 V
        • Replacing a 132 kV line with a 400 kV line
      • Summaries of fields from all power lines
      • Factors affecting the field from a power line
        • Voltage
        • Current
        • Clearance
        • Height above ground
        • Conductor bundle
        • Phasing
        • Balance between circuits
        • Balance within circuit
        • Ground resistivity
        • Two parallel lines
      • Calculating and measuring fields from power lines
        • Geometries of power lines
        • Raw data
        • On-line calculator
      • Fields from power lines – more detail on the physics
        • Field lines from a power line
        • The direction of the field from a power line
        • Power law variations in the field from a power line
      • Statistics of power line fields
    • Underground power cables
      • Different types of underground cable
      • Fields from cables in tunnels
      • Gas Insulated Lines (GIL)
      • Underground cables with multiple conductors
      • Effect of height on fields from underground cables
      • Screening fields from underground cables
    • Low-voltage distribution
      • UK distribution wiring
      • USA distribution wiring
    • House wiring
    • Substations
      • National Grid substations
        • Static Var Compensators
      • Sealing-end compounds
      • Distribution substations
      • Final distribution substations
        • Indoor substations
    • Transport
      • EMFs from electric trains (UK)
      • EMFs from cars
    • Appliances
    • Electricity meters
      • Smart meters
      • Traditional meters
    • Occupational exposures
      • Live-line work
      • Static Var Compensators
      • Occupational exposures on pylons
    • Field levels and exposures
      • Personal exposure
      • Other factors that vary with magnetic fields
      • Fields greater than 0.2 or 0.4 µT
    • Screening EMFs
      • Screening fields from underground cables
      • EMF Reduction Devices
  • Known effects
    • Induced currents and fields
    • Microshocks
      • Control of microshocks in the UK
      • Microshocks from bicycles
      • Bees and microshocks
    • EMFs and medical devices
      • Standards relating to pacemakers and other AIMDs
    • Effects of EMFs on equipment
  • Research
    • Types of research
    • Epidemiology
    • Animal and laboratory experiments
    • Mechanisms
    • Specific studies
      • UKCCS
      • CCRG
      • French Geocap study
      • CEGB cohort
      • Imperial College study
  • Current evidence on health
    • Childhood leukaemia
      • Survival from childhood leukaemia
      • Childhood leukaemia and Downs
      • Childhood leukaemia and night-time exposure
      • The “contact current” hypothesis
    • Other health effects
    • Scientific review bodies
      • WHO
      • IARC
    • Electric fields and ions
    • Comparing EMFs to other issues
  • Exposure limits for people
    • Limits in the UK
    • Limits in the EU
    • Limits in the USA
    • Limits in the rest of the world
    • Limits from specific organisations
      • ICNIRP 1998
      • ICNIRP 2010
      • NRPB 1993
      • NRPB 2004
      • EU 2004
      • EU 2013
  • Policy
    • UK policy
      • Power lines and property – UK
    • Compliance with exposure limits
    • European EMF policy
    • Precaution
    • SAGE
      • SAGE First Interim Assessment
        • Government response to SAGE First Interim Assessment
      • SAGE Second Interim Assessment
        • Government response to SAGE Second Interim Assessment
        • SAGE Second Interim Assessment – the full list of recommendations
  • Finding out more
    • EMF measurement and commercial services
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Contact us
  • Static fields
    • Static fields – the expert view