Siemens TEK device for use with hearing aids

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience of the Siemens Tek device (used for wireless communication between hearing aids and equipment such as a mobile phone/mp3 player/tv etc)? It apparently uses the Siemens e2e (a type of near field magnetic induction) and bluetooth and the manual says it can't be used by people who have pacemakers. But does anyone know how far do you need to stay away from someone else who is using one? I have been told it is as much as 60cms (by a sales rep, so not sure how accurate that figure is), which seems like a long way to manage to stay away from someone sitting next to you on the bus/standing in a supermarket queue.

5 Comments

WOW!!!

by donr - 2011-02-26 10:02:18

I wear a pair of hearing aids. Made by Phonak, not Siemens.

Phonak technology is slightly different. I have a device that hangs around my neck that does essentially what the Tek does. But it does it via FM. The neck loop is the transmitting antenna. It connects to my cell phone via blue tooth; my hearing aids also have an FM receiver in each aid. The latest gadget I have connects to radio or TV & has a transmitter that transmits to my neck piece, thence to the hearing aids.

Now - all that being said: I have had no problems w/ my system. At least as far as my PM is concerned.

IF the Siemens device operates off a near field magnetic induction system, it's gotta be a pretty powerful magnetic field to reach 60 cm! That's because most people will keep the Tek at waist level & the ears are about 2 ft (60 cm) away from the waist on most people.

It makes sense therefore, that any PM wearer would have to be that distance away from the Siemens wearer's waist IF there were to be any magnetic interference from the Tek device.

I hate to be a skeptic - but: That has to be a wickedly strong magnetic field to affect a PM at 60 cm. I had an experience about two wks after getting my PM planted. I passed my PM about 4 inches (10 cm) from a 240 Volt, 30 Amp cable feeding my water heater. That turned off my PM momentarily. Trust me, I felt it!

I go into my utility room very often & get w/i 60 cm of my electric service panel. It has a lot of 240 Volt lines in it & I have never had an untoward incident like that first one. I've been recently working on my water heater& been w/i 20 cm of the 240 Volt cables there while they were energized at 60 Amps current. No problem.

Surely the magnetic fields generated by 240 Volts at 30 plus Amps generates a stronger mag field than the Tek Device.

This is starting to sound like Siemens is being very defensive about third party legal liability.

Don

Simple

by ElectricFrank - 2011-02-27 02:02:24

The Siemens Tek is classified as a medical device which means that it must go through a long (can take a year or more) procedure to show its effect on a pacemaker before they can eliminate the restriction. This is the reason a Bluetooth cellphone ear piece which uses the same technology can avoid the warning. It isn't a medical device.

I agree with Don. I've been recently testing a 2 meter amateur radio transmitter that puts out 35 watts. Even standing next to the antenna hasn't had any effect on my Medtronics pacer.

By the way Don, I hadn't thought of it til you mentioned the water heater. I sit in my hot tub twice a day within maybe 6" of the 240 V 25A water heater. Its right under the seat I like. Never have had a problem. With my 3rd deg block, 100% pacing, and a intrinsic ventricular rate around 35, I would sure notice it if there was any effect.

One thing that can affect the magnetic field is how close the two leads carrying current are together. That might account for your water heater experience. 30A can generate quite a field if the leads are separated into a loop.

frank

Thanks

by Morag - 2011-03-03 04:03:59


Hi,

Thanks for your comments. I will see if I can get some more technical info from the manufacturer. Here are some links to what I have found so far.

http://hearing.siemens.com/_resources-re/files/04-products/19-tek/pdf/UG_Tek_en_2008.pdf

http://www.audiologynow.org/pastfuture/Presentation_pdf/LM172%20Angela%20Flores.pdf

SIEMENS TEK

by marksusanf - 2011-05-24 11:05:58

Hi Morag
I wondered the same thing. Read all about the TEK and the warning about using the TEK remote control. Did a little research and could not find anything to justify the warning. I went ahead and got Siemens hearing aids and the TEK along with them. Had them for two weeks now and have no problems between the two. My TEK works fine and does not interfere with my pacemaker. I do not wear it around my neck though. It is either on my belt or on the arm of my chair, receiving the TV audio. I do not have to use the TEK to use my hearing aids. So if it created a problem I just wouldn't use it.

Mark

Tek remote!

by Yogi1940 - 2011-06-27 02:06:44

Hi all here in this club . I just joined, I do not wear a pacemaker but I have Siemens hearing aids(pure 700 ric).
The mention of e2e is referring to " ear to ear" control where sound is automatically kept at the same level in each ear. this has no bearing on whether you have the Tek remote or not. The problem with a pacemaker and Tek remote I am not so sure of . Definitely check with Siemens on that subject.

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In fact after the final "tweaks" of my pacemaker programming at the one year check up it is working so well that I forget I have it.