Ask An Expert: Cordless Phones and Pacemakers

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Ask An Expert: Cordless Phones and Pacemakers

Question:

My father had a pacemaker implanted five years ago. He wants to purchase a new 5.8 GHz cordless phone. I have heard the cellular phones have had some interference with pacemakers; is this also true of digital cordless phones at this frequency?

Answer:

The short answer is: yes. Fortunately, though, the danger is really very low.

Cordless phones work in the same way as cellular phones. The main difference is that cordless phones must be close to the "base unit" to which they belong, while cell phones can connect to many towers of the cellular network. Both types of phones send information to and receive information from the base station. The information is transmitted in the form of electrical and magnetic energy moving together ("radiating") through space. This type of "radiation" is much lower energy than the radiation used to take X-rays. It poses no danger to the tissues of your body.

However, the radiofrequency radiation of cell phones can occasionally trick a pacemaker into thinking electrical signals are coming from a patient's heart. Pacemakers are programmed to stop stimulating the heart if the heart is beating on its own. So if the heart is NOT beating on its own, but the pacemaker stops because it believes the heart is working normally, the result can be a fainting spell.

Fortunately, research suggests that problems can only occur if phones are placed very close to the pacemakers — such as within six inches. Cardiologists generally advise people to put the phone on the side of the body away from the pacemaker. However, given the number of cell/cordless phones in use, the danger must be slight, or we would have had an epidemic of people with pacemakers passing out.

Thomas Lee, M.D., is the chief executive officer for Partners Community HealthCare Inc. He is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an internist and cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Lee is the chairman of the Cardiovascular Measurement Assessment Panel of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Print ThisSee All Ask An Expert Articles

Last updated:	January 24, 2007

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. By using AOL Body, you indicate that you have read, understood, and agreed to our Terms of Service, Use of Content Agreement and AOL Body Advertising Policy. Read more about our content partners.