Yes. The use of ham radio or CB radio should not damage or re program St. Jude Medical pacemakers. There is a remote possibility that the microphone or transmitter may cause a single-beat inhibition.

We don't anticipate any interaction, but your physician or health care professional may elect to program the pacemaker to a less sensitive setting. If you notice interference, verify that the antenna is at least 3 feet away for portable units and 10 feet away for base stations.

All of our currently manufactured pacemakers have feed through filters that are highly effective in the mega-Hertz frequency range. The effectiveness of this filtering provides an additional level of safety for people with St. Jude Medical pacemakers.

Need additional information? Contact Cardiac Rhythm Management Technical Support

CB radios, electric drills, electric blankets, electric shavers, ham radios, heating pads, metal detectors, microwave ovens, TV transmitters and remote control TV changers, in general, have not been shown to damage pacemaker pulse generators, change pacing rates or totally inhibit pacemaker output.

 Quote 1: Avoid being close to very strong magnets, such as MRI equipment, heavy duty electrical equipment, radio-transmitting towers, ham radios, certain surgical instruments, and cellular phones.

 Quote 2: Cellular phones, CB radios and ham radios can sometimes interfere with the function of some pacemakers. Cellular phone and CB radio antennas must remain at least six inches away from the pacemaker. Hence do not carry a cellular phone in your chest pocket, even when it is turned off. When using a cellular phone, hold it to the ear farthest from the pacemaker generator. Ham radio antenna should remain at least six feet away from the pacemaker.

Article Reprints:

You can get a photocopy of any ARRL published article for $3 ($5 for nonmembers) for each article requested. Contact the ARRL Technical Department (reprints@arrl.org ), 1-860-594-0390) if you wish to get photocopies.

This information was prepared as a membership service by the American Radio Relay League, Inc., Technical Information Service, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594-0214. Email: tis@arrl.org (Internet). ARRL HQ is glad to provide this information on the Web free of charge as a service to League members and affiliated clubs.

If you have any questions concerning the reproduction or distribution of this material, please contact:

TIS Coordinator
American Radio Relay League
225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111
Tel: 860-594-0214 Fax: 860-594-0259
(email: tis@arrl.org)