What problems will a pacemaker cause at screening?
 

My father is getting pace maker, how many problems will that cause him with the airport gestapo?:(

Your Dad will be issued a medical card stating that he has a pacemaker. He should have it laminated and carry it with him always. Whether he elects to show it to the Gestapo is up to him, but things will (maybe) go more smoothly if he does.

According to pacemaker manufacturers, a walk through a WMDT is safe, although the WMDT may alarm on the metal in the device. If so, he should NOT allow himself to be handwanded to clear an alarm -- a handwand held in close proximity for longer than 30 seconds can possibly disrupt magnet-based programming. I, personally, wouldn't trust a TSO to be careful about that.

His physician can give him (or you) the best information about the specific device.

~~ Irish

Hopefully using the simple sentence "I have a medical condition, and my doctor has advised against using a hand wand near my chest" will be all he'll have to say for TSA to find an alternative method of clearing him. But carrying that card around might not be a bad alternative, just in case someone insists upon seeing some documentation.

Alternatively, he might want to make the screener aware that he has a medical condition and simply request a private screening to handle the matter. This should permit him to keep confidential medical information as confidential as possible, and keep his bags and papers within his control during the screening process as well. Just be sure to arrive to the airport a little earlier, as this approach will likely require additional time at the checkpoint.

As a rule, individuals with pacemakers are not taken though the WTMD. He can expect a full body pat down instead of walking through the WTMD. In the full body, the HHMD is not used. We see this all the time, won't be an issue. Just will take a few more minutes to do.

i would tell the wtmd tso "i am wearing a pacemaker" and leave it at that-and let what TSO1973 says below happen. imho, if you "give up more than what is needed" ;), you open up a pandora's box where the tso can inquire about the "medical condition" but by simply stating the issue, that's it and no more questions can be asked"

good to hear ^

Manufacturers Websites
 

I would suggest you look up the website of the manufacturer of the pacemaker your father gets. They have sections on their websites with detailed information on living and traveling with a pace maker.

You will probably see that the card you are given concerns the fact that your pacemaker may cause an alarm with a WTMD rather than that the pacemaker will be affected by the WTMD.

Its all a matter of choice by the pacemaker user whether to go through the WTMD or not. Also most cardiologists will tell pacemaker users to avoid going through WTMD. Unfortunately the alternative is usually a pat down search!

Passengers I encounter at the WTMD with a pacemaker simply say they have a one or some just tap on their chest over the pacemaker. No more needs to be said or is said. It immediately goes to the protocol for someone with a pacemaker.

I don't know about the AIT systems, since I don't work with them, but they might be a faster alternative for him. I do not know if the emissions from one will have any affect on a pacemaker or not. Might be worth the OP checking into...

My husband is near the end of battery life on his second pacemaker/defibrillator. He carries his manufacturer's card but has never been asked for it. He just tells TSA he has a pacemaker and they hand search him. His can be clearly seen/felt under his skin, even with a shirt on.
They can wand below the waist if they want but never do.

I was worried when we flew internationally but "pacemaker" seems to be universally understood and they know how to deal with it. I had obtained manufacturer's booklets in French and Italian but never needed to use them.

Your father should remove his pacemaker and put it in a baggie for the nice TSA people. :)

After all, this fight against terrorism is serious business and how is TSA to know your father is not an al qaeda agent with an implanted bomb?

My friend Frank has a metal plate in his leg and tells me he feels cheated if he is not patted down. We are a little worried about Frank!

That's true, Ron -- you don't know about it, so you ought not comment on it.

Electromagnetic transmissions can alter the pacemaker pulse waveform (hence the warnings about pacemakers and microwave ovens). While there doesn't seem to be any readily available authoritative information about the effects of MMW transmission on cardiac devices, just personally, I wouldn't be anxious to expose such a device to even a negligible risk.


~~ Irish

http://www.americanheart.org/downloa...akeridcard.pdf

Not that I'm advocating...

I've been travelling with an ICD for almost 3 years now...
 

An ICD is a pacemaker that bites :eek:

I have a card that was issued by the manufacturer. I move it, my ID and a credit card to my pocket from my wallet before moving everything else from my pockets to my carry on. I also remove my belt ahead of time and put it into the carry on as well. I have never been asked by anyone to see manufacturer's card nor has having it changed the protocol one bit.

While I know the drill, I use the medical/family lane if available. I have occasionally had "conversations" with the moat dragon who wants me in the general lane. The rest of the prep into the bins is as usual.

While my device is not effected by a quick trip thru the WTMD, it is generally detected. The result of that was a thorough secondary and a lecture. The lecture was to tell me that it is less of a hassle to be manually scanned than to have to clear the alarm.

Just before the WTMD I get the attention of the screener. Most are surprised, some seem to be a little irritated. At this point I say, "I need to be manually scanned, please." If they hesitate, I point at my chest and say, "pacemaker." Except for a couple of times that was all that was necessary. I think that the other times it was a matter of noise or some other distraction, that they didn't understand what I was requesting. I have occasionally been told to just walk thru the WTMD. I have decided that this really isn't an option so I smile and say that I would rather not "end up on the floor flopping like a fish." This isn't really what happens but I have never had to go farther than this.

Most places I get put into the Plexiglass cage while a "male assist" is summoned. When they arrive, they generally collect my bins and carry on from the belt and take me aside. Occasionally they will reach for the wand but, usually they start with the pat down protocol.

The pat downs start with an explanation of what they are going to do. They are thorough but I have never felt any hint of retaliation. If they are conversational, I will chat. That is unusual.

Smaller airports are generally easier to negotiate than large ones. I have had less than stunning experiences at:

SAN: separated me from my belongings while waiting for the male assist. This was more of a configuration problem but not well handled. I had to be escorted down the concourse exit to get to the screening area.

LAX: Had to start from the beginning because they could only allow me in at the medical/family line. This was where the moat dragon insisted that I use the general line rather than where I had been sent. This in spite of the fact that my stuff was in a bin and that I was not coming from the main entrance.

PHL: Just a general not friendliness and an impression that I am an inconvenience to them.

Empire State Building: "WE HAVE A PACEMAKER HERE!" Thanks, I would have worn a sign if I wanted EVERYONE to know.

I have never had any TSO doing the pat down be anything but polite and professional.

My recommendation would be that your father accept that life is different now; not worse, just different. By being prepared; i.e. everything out of your pockets, belt and shoes off, it demonstrates that you know what you are doing and you avoid any "teaching moments." The goal is to get past security with the least amount of hassle so don't invite it. Compared to what he went thru getting the device in the first place, there is not much that the TSO can do that would trump it.

lynn

This will be my DH's first time through with the pacemaker and after reading some issues with the pat downs I'm a little worried.

Anything lately on Heathrow or Newark?

I beg to differ....I wouldn't advise a person with a pacemaker to walk through the metal detector as the magnetic field could interrupt the device. Nor would I allow them to use the hand held metal detector. Just have him advise them that he has a pacemaker and he will be screened appropriately.

And if it doesn't then collapsing to the ground holding his chest when the wand reaches there might make them understand.

BUT are pacemarkers cleared for use on aircraft?

2 Questions re N O S screening
 

1 - There's been discussion about the scanner not having as much radiation as a CT Scanner. I cannot get a CT Scan, because I have a pacemaker. Am I therefore unable to go through these scanners? Are there magnets used in there? My Pacemaker CAN go thru the metal detector due to the manner in which ot is shielded. It does not set off the detector.

2 - If these scanners can see thru clothing, how come we have to take our shoes off?????

My DH is on his second pacemaker/defibrillator (third, effective 11/18). His electrocardiologist's advice is not to go through any type of scanning device. He won't even go into department stores anymore because of the theft detection devices at entrances/exits.

There are two types of scanners in place:

Rapid Scan which uses backscatter x-ray - http://www.rapiscansystems.com/sec1000.html

L3 ProVision Scanner which uses millimeter (radio) waves - http://www.sds.l-3com.com/products/mmwave.htm

AS for the shoes - TSA makes you take them off because they can (Note military are not require to take their shoes off unless the WTMD alarms).

Only military in uniform. Military flying in civilian attire still have to remove shoes.

1 - You should discuss this with your medical team and follow their advice.

2 - So you'll feel safer. Don't you feel safer?

~~ Irish

1. You CAN have a CT scan or other ionizing radiation with a pacemaker. It is MRI that you need to avoid. We scan and do xrays on patients with pacemakers all the time (I'm a radiologist). It is the magnetic interference of an MRI that can potentially disrupt the function of your pacemaker (or cause heating effects).
So that is not in itself a valid reason to opt out, though I am still not in favor of the extra radiation, no matter how small. It is not anywhere near the amount from a CT scan--I do believe that--but its relation to other things (cosmic radiation from flight, etc) I question, as do the experts at UCSF.

2. As for the shoes....no idea. We probably don't really need them off for anything. Why are the TSA workers patting down bare skin?

OOPS - Thanks for correcting me. I knew it was the MRI I couldn't do - have had lots of CAT scans. It drives the Orthopedists crazy - first thing they want to do is an MRI! :-) Ofcoure, it did result in shoulder surgery that may have been different if i could have had the MRI. But I digress - sorry.

Just don't know if these new machines have large magnets in them. If they do, then can't go in with a Pacemaker.
My wife usually wears a skirt when flying - she finds it more comfortable than pants. Maybe she needs to rethink that.

I came home from Heathrow just a few weeks ago - have had a pacemaker for a couple years. My experience is much like some of the other posters above. When you get close to the WTMD, just pat your chest, say pacemaker, and they bring you into a patdown area rather than making you go through the WTMD. No problem at all at Heathrow, and I've had so many patdowns now (probably 100+ in the past 2 years of flying) that I almost don't notice it any more. The only one that ever really got me agitated was when one odd TSA person wanted to do the patdown with the hand-held metal detector turned off, so that she wouldn't have to use her hands. I refused - how could I tell whether she would turn it on mid-screening? she got another screener. The only other odd one was this TSA person who had an aversion to touching velvet, even through gloves and told me she couldn't do my patdown! She finally realized it was OK when I told her my pants were suede, not velvet. Seems like not being able to bring yourself to do a patdown should disqualify you from being a TSA agent in a patdown area. In any event, pacemakers are pretty routine for the TSA - though now they may try to make you go through the new scanners instead of having a patdown. I still prefer the patdown to a virtual strip search. And like others, I always pull my pacemaker ID card out of my wallet and have it in hand along with my photo ID and boarding pass. I will flash it if I get any confused looks from the TSA, but I've never been required to present it for any sort of thorough check.

No worries on the MRI mixup.


And, since my area is imaging, not cardiology, I was reminded in the other pacemaker thread that you should not go through the WTMD because it has magnetic properties (not as strong as MRI), and apparently the HHMD is out, too. Would question the MMW, since that is more radio, or is it closer to microwave sort of emission? Backscatter would be ok since it is ionizing radiation, but the battery may show up and you'd get a pat-down anyway. Prob best to just have the pat-down, such that it is.

Good luck!