Evaluation of electromagnetic interference of GSM mobile phones with pacemakers featuring remote monitoring functions

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether global system for mobile communication (GSM) cellular phones can affect the home monitoring (HM) function implemented in last generation pacemakers (PM).

We performed in vitro and in vivo tests on the BA03 PM (Biotronik GmbH, Berlin, Germany). In vitro we evaluated whether an improper HM procedure or an altered patient-activated HM function occurred. We used two cellular phone models, with a fixed external or internal antenna, positioned close to both the PM and the mobile phone-like device, during handover, ringing, and talking. All the tests were done with the PM in air, at 900 and 1,800 MHz GSM bands, under worst case conditions. A subset of these tests was repeated in 17 patients: the mobile phones were moved both around the PM implant site and the mobile cell phone-like device, during talking.

In vitro, neither the HM procedure nor PM functioning were corrupted by the GSM communications: all the transmissions were correctly received, with a maximum transmission delay of about 110 seconds. In vivo, the rate of successful transmissions was 93%.

Our data show that HM function does not call for specific restrictions on the use of GSM cellular phones.