Electric Cars Don’t Interfere with Implantable Cardiac Devices

A Mayo Clinic study, Hybrid Cars and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Is It Safe?, has found that patients with implanted cardiac devices like pacemakers and defibrillators can safely drive or be a passenger in an electric car without risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI). The increasing prevalence of electric and hybrid cars prompted Mayo Clinic cardiac investigators to study the potential risk of the effects of EMI on patients with implantable devices. It is the first study of its kind to address the interaction between devices and electric cars, and is being presented at the 2013 American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in San Francisco.  

Sound bites with cardiologist and lead author Luis Scott,M.D., are available in the downloads above

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Expert title for broadcast cg: Dr. Luis Scott, Mayo Clinic Cardiologist