Interactions between Cardiac Pacemakers and Antishoplifting Security Systems

Abstract

The acoustomagnetic electronic article surveillance system is one of several types of antishoplifting gates that are now ubiquitous at the exits of retail stores. These systems emit a magnetic field that can interfere with cardiac pacemakers. The degree of interference varies according to one's proximity to the device and the duration of exposure to the magnetic field. For example, of 50 patients studied in a laboratory, 96 percent had an interaction while standing in the gates of an acoustomagnetic field, as compared with only 6 percent of those who walked briskly through the gates.¹ Other types of electronic article surveillance systems pose no problem for patients with pacemakers. The question has been raised with acoustomagnetic systems whether this source of interference causes difficulty for patients with pacemakers under real-world conditions. Here we report such an interaction.