Some of the newer smart watches, smart rings and other “smart” products can interfere with implanted electronic medical devices that control heart rhythms, such as pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices, confusing the devices into operating incorrectly and possibly even giving the wearer a small electric shock.
“This study raises a red flag,” said Benjamin Sanchez Terrones of the University of Utah. “We have done this work in simulations and benchtop testing after Food and Drug Administration accepted guidelines, and these gadgets interfere with the correct functioning of the cardiac implantable electronic devices we tested.”
Some smart watches, at-home smart scales, and smart rings employ bioimpedance, a type of sensing technology that emits a very small, unnoticeable current of electricity into the body, reports TimesLIVE.
The tissues’ response to the current is measured by the sensor, and the results can shed light on factors like skeletal muscle mass or fat mass.
But as reported in Heart Rhythm Journal, experiments funded by the US National Institutes of Health showed the slight electrical currents can sometimes confuse the medical devices into operating incorrectly.
For example, the current could be interpreted by a pacemaker to mean the heart is beating fast enough, preventing it from working properly when necessary.
In a patient with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), which is designed to shock the heart to restore a regular heart rhythm when needed, a wearable device with bioimpedance could trick the ICD into delivering an unneeded painful electric shock, the researchers said.
More research is needed to test the effects of the wearables on implantable cardiac devices in patients, Sanchez Terrones said.
Meanwhile, the researchers said they do not recommend the use of wearables with bioimpedance technology in patients with implanted electronic heart devices.
Study details
Safety evaluation of smart scales, smart watches, and smart rings with bioimpedance technology shows evidence of potential interference in cardiac implantable electronic devices
Gia-Bao Ha, Benjamin A. Steinberg, Roger Freedman, Antoni Bayés-Genís, Benjamin Sanchez,
Published in HeartRhythm Journal on 21 February 2023
Background
Smart scales, smart watches, and smart rings with bioimpedance technology may create interference in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to determine interference at CIEDs with simulations and benchtop testing, and to compare the results with maximum values defined in the ISO 14117 electromagnetic interference standard for these devices.
Methods
The interference at pacing electrodes was determined by simulations on a male and a female computable model. A benchtop evaluation of representative CIEDs from 3 different manufacturers as specified in the ISO 14117 standard also was performed.
Results
Simulations showed evidence of interference with voltage values exceeding threshold values defined in the ISO 14117 standard. The level of interference varied with the frequency and amplitude of the bioimpedance signal, and between male and female models. The level of interference generated with smart scale and smart rings simulations was lower than with smart watches. Across device manufacturers, generators demonstrated susceptibility to oversensing and pacing inhibition at different signal amplitudes and frequencies.
Conclusions
This study evaluated the safety of smart scales, smart watches, and smart rings with bioimpedance technology via simulation and testing. Our results indicate that these consumer electronic devices could interfere in patients with CIEDs. The present findings do not recommend the use of these devices in this population due to potential interference.
TimesLIVE article – Wearable smart gadgets can interfere with cardiac devices (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
FDA warning on cellphone effects on implanted medical devices
Newest cellphones may pose ‘significant risk’ to pacemakers and ICDs
FDA warns on vulnerability of pacemakers to hacking