Airport metal detectors update2

• by ccmoore
• 2009-09-08 11:09:14
• General Posting
• 2501 views
• 1 comments

I recently had to go to Hawaii for work, which meant dealing with airport metal detectors or security gates at Sacramento and Honolulu airport. I passed through both of them without any problems.

This is not a recommendation just a report from the field. I have a Saint Jude PM/ICD installed since May 2008.

There seems to be conflicting information about metal detectors. Here is what is on the Saint Jude website.
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From www.sjm.com/resources
FAQs

Will airport security systems damage or reprogram my pacemaker?
There is a slight possibility that a pacemaker may mistake the energy from a security gate as your heart’s natural rhythm and withhold its pacing output for a single beat. Airport security gates emit radio frequency energy that is reflected back to the gates by metal objects. The energy emitted by the gates is localized to the area between and around the gates, so the single-beat inhibition would occur only for the duration that you remain in the energy field.

Your pacemaker won’t be damaged or reprogrammed and we don’t expect you to experience any problems.

Tips

* Walk through the gates at your normal pace
* Do not lean against the gates
* Be sure to carry your patient ID card with you when you travel. This will help airport personnel verify that you have a pacemaker

Need additional information? Contact Cardiac Rhythm Management Technical Support.
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So, if I understand the above, from Saint Jude the airport security gates are more like radar than a gigantic magnetic force field. Radio frequency energy or waves are everywhere albeit they are probably more concentrated in an airport security gate.

Based on Saint Jude’s recommendation, I am going to continue passing through them and not do the pat down search. PM users will need to decide for your selves about security gates.

Later,
Charlie