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Pacemaker Telephone Transmitter Compatible Phones

People with weakened hearts are often implanted with pacemakers to help their hearts last longer. These individuals need to be monitored by a doctor on a regular basis, some as often as every week. There is an easier way then going into the doctor's office. The patient can dial a phone number, hold a special pad up to their pacemaker and the phone will transmit the information to a computer at the other end.

  1. Land-line Phones

    • Once a patient is implanted with a pacemaker, they need to be monitored fairly regularly to make sure their body does not reject this foreign object. Having a patient come to the doctor's office every few days is difficult for some patients. Some are sent home with a special telephone machine, similar to a TTY machine that the deaf use to communicate over the phone. The receiver of a land-line corded phone is placed in the cradle and a small 'pad' is held up to the pacemaker. It is important to use a corded land-line phone and not a portable phone, which will emit more bandwidth. This could cause problems with the pacemaker's cycling or the information transmission. This telephone monitoring technique is called transtelephonic monitoring.

    Low-Bandwidth Land-Line Phones

    • Many of the pacemakers are manufactured to emit a low-grade pulse that will transmit over a low-bandwidth telephone connection to a receiver at the other end. The receiver will measure the pacemaker's main energy source which is the battery, among other types of functions. AT&T, Cortelco ITT and Nokia land-line phones seem to work the best for transmitting pacemaker information to the receiver. Before the first transmission, the patient needs to check the bandwidth and check with the hospital or doctor's office to see if the transmission will be acceptable from a land-line phone. Multi-line phones businesses use carry too much bandwidth for a transtelephonic monitoring phone. It is recommended that patients transfer their pacemaker information from their home land-line phone, which usually has a low-bandwidth connection.

    Cell Phones and Pacemaker Compatibility

    • The majority of cell phones used in the United States emits less than 3 watts of power and do not usually affect pacemakers. There are a few which might interfere with the pacemaker's cycling and are not acceptable to use for transtelephonic monitoring. It is acceptable for an individual with a pacemaker implant to use a cell phone, but to be safe he should not carry one in his left breast pocket of your shirt near the pacemaker.

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