Pacemaker and Wireless Microphone

Wireless microphone

by AgentX86 - 2023-05-24 21:58:58

I'm normally one to say that wireless or Bluetooth devices are fine but in your case, the microphone can be right on top of the pacemaker and you report that you can feel abnormalities when you do.  If you could find a microphone with a belt pack and wear the battery/transmitter pack on a belt behind your back (many professionals do this) it would almost surely be OK. Wireless microphones, whether they use Bluetooth or not, use the same ISM radio bands so the effects would be similar, though Bluetooth is specfically designed and tested to operate in a Bluetooth environment.

One thing I'd do, just for curiousity if nothing else, is use a Kardia Mobile when you turn on the mic to see if anything changes. Do not do this if you are pacemaker dependent!

Wireless

by piglet22 - 2023-05-25 07:57:55

As said by Agent, probably not a good idea to do if you are getting some adverse effects.

Pacemakers are pretty robust when it comes to Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR).

We live our lives in a sea of EMR and it never fails to amaze me that all these waves are buzzing through us without causing too much trouble. Every mobile phone and it's cell transmitter is sending out packets of  EMR with everything from voice calls to Tiktok videos.

Many of us have pacemakers that use Bluetooth. All recent pacemakers will also be able to communicate with a monitoring device either a bedside device or at the clinic.

With a home monitor, you use two communication methods that are in very close contact to your pacemaker. Firstly, the pacemaker can communicate with the chest reader using NFC (Near Field Communication). This is a short range method, a bit like contactless credit cards. It works by powering up the credit card and at the same time exchanging data. The Medtronic MyCareLink reader has some large coils inside it that do the NFC bit.

The reader also has Bluetooth (BLE) to communicate between reader and base unit.

So, in practice, you do safely have two types of EMR very close to your pacemaker and it is designed to work that way.

The same can't be said for your microphone and it almost certainly won't be certified for medical applications. It wouldn't be sensible to use another source of EMR close to something that can be controlled by EMR. All the settings you have on the pacemaker can be changed by the right sort of EMR under the right conditions.

The energy of EMR falls off rapidly with distance, and the further, say to a belt transmitter and a wired microphone combination would be safer.

Bluetooth

by AgentX86 - 2023-05-25 23:22:46

It should also be noted that while pacemakers use Bluetooth to communicate, the transmitter isn't place directly over the pacemaker.  It's on bedside unit (not on the hockey puck) so doesn't come close to the pacemaker.  I it were too close, the Bluetooth transmitter could overload the pacemakers Bluetooth receiver.  It's good to keep Bluetooth, or other ISM band, devices away from your pacemaker.

I have the app on my cell phone so my pacemaker is connected to the mothership through my cell phone.  If the app isn't running or I leave my cell phone somewhere for some time, I'll get an email and text nagging me to restart the app.

I also get a text and email telling me that it reported (scheduled or unscheduled) in. Mine sent a scn\heduled (three month) interrogation to my cardiologist yesterday, in fact.

I carry my cell phone on my hip so it doesn't overload the pacemaker. I do use Bluetooth ear buds without a problem.