Can You Wear A Smartwatch with A Pacemaker? [Know What Researcher Says]

Nick Rolloson November 15, 2022 1

Can You Wear Smartwatch with A Pacemaker

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Many implemented devices are now the biggest threat to the pacemaker user. This small sensitive device can easily damage or stop any individual’s life if not the person is conscious of the impacts.

So, a simple question may arise, can you wear a smartwatch with a pacemaker?

The answer is a big “No, No.” Those luxurious smartwatches become your enemy when I reveal a dirty truth behind those wrist timers. Smartwatches and Cellphones are now well-engineered with high-field strength magnets.

Those magnetic strengths can slow down the general roles of the pacemaker if they come close to more than 6 inches.

In my research, many researchers, journals, and even medical advisors partially mentioned some devices which highly tend to this concern. So, I keep reading to explore what I found.

What Is a Pacemaker, And What Does It Do?

A pacemaker is a little electronic device, generally implanted in the human chest or skin by surgery to control heartbeats.

This device is manufactured with a lithium-ion battery and can operate (systolic and diastolic norms) the same as the real heart. Human hearts are operated by a special myogenic fibrous tissue that can automatically beat (operating by sinus node).

If somehow this tissue is getting slow or stops working as it did previously, then the physician will suggest implanting a pacemaker.

A pacemaker is also known as a cardiac pacing device. There are three types of pacemakers inlaid into the patient heart. It depends on heart conditions, including-single chamber, dual chamber, and biventricular pacemaker.

The pacemaker works to control the heartbeat and monitor chronic conditions. The doctor recommends it if the patient has a slow heartbeat, minor heart attacks, dizziness, or fainting.

An electrical signal has been sent by the pacemaker device to diagnose your heart. The human heart comes with a natural pacemaker called a sinus node.

To make the heart beat continually, it produces automated electrical impulses. This is followed when an artificially built pacemaker can take over the role of the sinus node.

Can You Wear a Smartwatch with a Pacemaker?

A pacemaker wearer isn’t allowed to use a smartwatch due to the high magnetic issues.

Most smartwatches come with fast charging capabilities, and the manufacturer boldly highlighted that charge can stay 15 days or more. To bring the biggest deal on smartwatches, watch manufacturer trends to special traits called electromagnetic batteries.

But a news portal of CTV published an article including the bad impacts of newly invented I-phones, smartwatches on pacemakers, and defibrillators.

Brooklyn Neustaeter says when a pacemaker comes closer to electromagnetic interference, it could suspend or stop its general working. Sometimes the patients may faint, suffering from slow or fast heartbeats, etc.

But the regret is that nowadays, smartwatches are not worth using for the pacemaker patient. High-quality watches like Apple and Samsung aren’t safe to use.

Because those come with a static magnetic field greater than 10G and are well enough to send any implanted medical tools into the magnetic mode, not only this, the implanted pacemaker got highly affected and ruined for the radios when they came close with smartwatches.

Smartwatches like highly constructive functions, characteristics that tend the pacemaker to work normally. Now, the question is what precautions one may take to avoid such difficulties. Here are some ways which work to avert them.

Precautions One Should Follow for Patients with Pacemakers While Using Smartwatches

Almost every smartwatch and cell phone have magnetic interference, which ruins the certain activity of the pacemaker.

The FDA recommends some precautions for pacemaker patients to cope with the situation. This is followed when an artificially built pacemaker can take over the role of the sinus node.

1. Keep Your Watch Away from Pocket

Keep your watch away from the pocket as it will retain the magnetic radiation. It is primary measurement research by experts. Keeping the watch in a pocket may affect the pacemaker and stop them from working continually.

2. Try to Maintain the Distance of At Least 6″ Inch While Using the Device

You may need help to avoid the bad impacts of electronic devices. But you can follow some tricks to ease the use of the pacemaker with your smartwatch. Try to maintain a distance of 6 inches whenever you pick the watch. This could save your pacemaker from reacting badly.

3. Check The Device Using Home Monitoring System

Another trick to overcome the problem is using home monitoring systems. But those devices are only available to some. So, try to check the device with that if you have one.

4. Took The Advice of Your Health Care Provider

To avoid such inconvenience, take the advice of your healthcare provider. Only they can provide you with the right solutions for using a smartwatch with pacemakers.

5. Turn on The Magnetic Safe Mode

Turn on the safe magnetic mode while using the smartwatch because this function is little compatible with stopping the pacemaker from acting abnormally.

Again, turning on the safe magnetic mode will reduce the minimum risk of cardiac defibrillators, which dismiss or prevent the detection of tachycardia events.

With this, you can use the Fitbit brand watch series since they do not bear such magnetic systems.

Symptoms May Occur While Using Smartwatch with a Pacemaker

As I already reveal the dark sites of smartwatches, this is also important to discuss what types of symptoms one may suffer. While a patient using smartwatches with pacemakers commonly face some serious medical disorders, including-

1. Slow & Fast Heart Rates

A pacemaker may be impacted by the electromagnetic radioactive systems and collapse its sensor to beat. Since its main duty is to monitor the patient’s heart condition, sudden inactivity may slow or fast the heart rates.

2. Patient Gets Faint

For the slow activities of pacemakers, one may faint or be senseless. It is a common problem one may face. A pacemaker patient didn’t take the load when it stopped abruptly to beat constantly.

3. Feeling Dizziness

Dizziness in the community occurs when the brain needs a steady supply of oxygen. And the pacemaker also works as a co-related organ because it is implanted into the patient’s heart.

So, the brain fails to fulfill its needs when the pacemaker stops or fails to monitor the heart to beat properly. As a result, the patient feels dizzy. This is an early symptom of using a pacemaker with smart hand timers. Also, some people get minor shocks, severe headaches, chest pain, and difficulty breathing and can die.

Magnetic Watches That Should Be Kept Away from Pacemaker

It is challenging to tell which device is good and worthy to use with a pacemaker. However, I try to enlist some wristwatches which should keep away from the pacemaker strictly.

All kinds of Apple Watch
Apple Watch charging case, cables
Apple Watch AirPods, watch bands with magnets
Apple Watch magnetic charging accessories
Wyze 47 C smartwatches
Wyze all models and accessories

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Should Devices Be Kept Away from Pacemakers?

Patients with an ICD or pacemaker can be affected when they come close to magnets or high magnetic devices.

Therefore, the device manufactured with a magnet should be kept at least six inches away. It’s for you only sometimes to know what disaster may await you when contacting high magnetic employed machinery.

What Devices Can’t Be Used with Pacemakers?

As a precaution for the serious heart patient, FDA recommended staying away from magnetic devices or consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, chargers, pens, high voltage radar machines, T.V. transmitters, induction hob, X-ray machines, puffer machines, etc.

Things like this can prolong the heartbeat of a patient and can undergo extracorporeal shocks or face other serious difficulties.

Can I Wear a Galaxy Watch with a Pacemaker?

Research from the (CDRH) U.S. meals and drug administration core for Devices and Radiological Health demonstrated that magnetic interference units might want to mess up or scatter the ICD patient.

For example, the Galaxy watches ought to be averted by the consumer with a pacemaker. But you can use it by maintaining it at least 6″ away from the pacemaker machine.

Does A Fitbit Watch Interfere with A Pacemaker?

Unlike high-quality electronic consumer devices and smartwatches, Fitbit is safe for ICD patients. I have read many research groups and forums ensuring that the Fitbit authority tested their products with pacemakers. So, there is no risk of using Fitbit watches with a pacemaker.

Do Samsung Phones Affect Pacemakers?

Samsung’s watches are highly affected when in contact with pacemakers. Because most of them are well-engineered with magnetic and optical sensors, the powerful battery used on that device can stop the pacemakers from working.

Besides this, they’re mostly compared to MRI scan machines which can cause heart rhythm disorders.

Final Wrap

It is strictly forbidden by some initial researchers not to use smartwatches with pacemakers. Nevertheless, those devices should be kept away at a certain distance.

However, if you still doubt whether can you wear a smartwatch with a pacemaker, I advise you to believe in research.

As evidence, you can check the BBC news portal that provides a restriction on the Apple watches and Mac pro devices since they come with magnetic strength.

You can ask the watch manufacturer to know whether the smartwatch is pacemaker friendly or not. Despite having a high risk of using a pacemaker with some smartwatches, one must be aware of the devices.

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Nick Rolloson

Nick is the editor-in-chief of Pickedwatch.com, a blog about watches. Nick started his professional career in the information technology field, and now works as a professional technology & gadget writer. He likes to write about various topics on technology and Gadgets.