Image of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. (Credit: Medtronic)
In a recent study published in Heart Rhythm, an international team of researchers led by the University of Utah investigate how electronic fitness gadgets like smartwatches could potentially pose health risks for wearers of these devices, and possibly even death. This is due to a type of sensing technology known as bioimpedance, which could interfere with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) like pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
“This study raises a red flag,” said Dr. Benjamin Sanchez-Terrones, who is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Utah, and a co-author on the study. “We have done this work in simulations and benchtop testing following Food and Drug Administration accepted guidelines, and these gadgets interfere with the correct functioning of the CIEDs we tested. These results call for future clinical studies evaluating the translation of our findings to patients wearing CIEDs and using these wearable devices.”
Bioimpedance is used in smartwatches like the Fitbit Aria 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 to monitor the wearer’s fat mass or skeletal muscle mass, while it’s used in smart rings like the Moodmetric smart ring to monitor the wearer’s stress levels.
Dr. Benjamin Sanchez Terrones (left) and Dr. Benjamin Steinberg (right). (Credit: Dan Hixson/University of Utah John and Marcia Price College of Engineering)
For the study, the researchers examined the effects of bioimpedance on three cardiac CRT devices from manufacturers Abbott, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. The findings indicated the electrical currents from the bioimpedance in the respective gadgets can cause incorrect operations in cardiac implantable devices from interfering and often confusing the cardiac device. This could be especially harming to pacemakers, as the bioimpedance could cause the pacemaker to think the heart is functioning properly, which could keep the pacemaker from correctly doing its job.
“We have patients who depend on pacemakers to live,” said Dr. Benjamin Steinberg, who is a cardiac electrophysiologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Utah, and a co-author on the study. “If the pacemaker gets confused by interference, it could stop working during the duration that it is confused. If that interference is for a prolonged time, the patient could pass out or worse.”
While warning labels exist on almost all, if not all, implantable cardiac devices to protect patients from electronic interference, including carrying a mobile phone near the pacemaker, Dr. Sanchez Terrones notes this is the first study to address the potential health concerns that bioimpedance sensing technology could cause.
Sources: Heart Rhythm, The University of Utah
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