Mayo Clinic study finds electric car does not interfere with implanted cardiac devices

A Mayo Clinic study has concluded that patients with implanted cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators can safely drive or ride in an electric car without risk of electromagnetic interference. The study, titled "Hybrid Cars and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Is It Safe?" is the first of its kind to address the interaction between these devices and electric cars. In some cases, implanted devices may sense signals from electrical or magnetic objects and misinterpreted them as potential distress coming from the patient's heart. The increasing prevalence of electric and hybrid cars, one of the fastest growing segments of the American automotive industry, prompted Mayo Clinic cardiac investigators to study the potential risk of the effects of EMI on patients with implantable devices. Mayo Clinic researchers used implantable devices from the three major manufacturers and a 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid in the study. Electric and magnetic fields were measured in six positions: from the driver's seat, front passenger seat, the left and right rear seats and in front of and behind the car from the outside

Cardiac implant keeps weak heart pumping

"When someone's heart is about to quit, they're usually told to wait for a transplant or wait to die. Lately, doctors have found other options. "Transplant will never solve the public health dilemma which is posed by all these people with end-stage heart disease," said Dr. Edwin McGee, surgical director of heart transplantation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Because there aren't enough donor hearts to meet the demand, "cardiologists are recognizing that these people need some type of help or they're going to die," McGee said. More and more, surgeons turn to cardiac implants to help weak hearts pump blood to the body. The newest versions of ventricular assist devices are smaller, quieter and more portable. Where once the devices were the size of a coffee maker, the latest versions have shrunk to the size of a D battery. They're not the equivalent of artificial hearts, which actually replace the heart. The implants attach to the heart and serve as a booster pump to increase blood flow. They can help reduce the symptoms of heart failure, including fatigue, shortness of breath and pain." - Press of Atlantic City