MADRID, 19 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
High-power electric vehicle chargers are safe for patients with pacemakers and defibrillators, according to a study published in ‘EP Europace’, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and presented at its EHRA 2023 scientific congress.
“New high-power charging stations for electric cars have the potential to create strong electromagnetic fields and cause electromagnetic interference in pacemakers and defibrillators, causing them to malfunction,” explains study author Dr. Carsten Lennerz of the German Center for Munich heart.
“We previously investigated the risk of electromagnetic interference with cardiac devices while driving electric cars and found that the greatest electromagnetic field was located along the charging cable,” he continued. “This was the first study to examine the risk of interference electromagnetic radiation in patients with implantable cardiac electronic devices (IEDs) during the use of high-power chargers”.
Pacemakers and defibrillators are used to treat patients with heart rhythm disorders or heart failure. It is estimated that by 2023, between 1 and 1.4 million pacemakers will be implanted worldwide.
Since the average life expectancy with a pacemaker is 8.5 years, the number of people with a pacemaker worldwide is likely to be between 8 and 12 million. In addition, approximately 150,000 to 200,000 patients worldwide receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) each year.
High power chargers up to 350 kW have been developed to reduce charging time. Newer chargers use DC (direct current), which allows for higher power output, while older or home chargers use AC (alternating current).
With higher charging current there may be a stronger magnetic field and an increased risk of electromagnetic interference that could cause a pacemaker to stop working or a defibrillator to deliver painful shock therapy inappropriately (due to false detection of a rapid arrhythmia). There are no official recommendations on the use of high-power chargers in patients with ICD.
The study included 130 patients with pacemakers or defibrillators. The mean age was 59 years and 21% were women. Four commercially available electric cars with high-power charging capabilities were used during the study.
However, these cars cannot support the maximum load of 350 kW. Since electric cars are very likely to reach maximum charge in the future, the researchers also used a test vehicle that could draw 350 kW from the high-power chargers.
The participants had their heart devices programmed to optimize detection of electromagnetic interference. Next, they were asked to plug in and charge each car with the charging cable placed directly over their heart device to maximize the likelihood of electromagnetic interference.
Patients were monitored for any malfunctions in their cardiac devices, such as failure to deliver pacing therapy or inadequate detection of abnormally fast heart rhythms. The cardiac devices were also checked for any change in their programming or damage after charging.
In total, 561 charges were performed during which the researchers did not observe any adverse events caused by electromagnetic interference. Specifically, there was no inhibition of pacing in pacemakers or inadequate detection of rapid arrhythmias that could lead to painful shock therapy in patients with defibrillators.
According to Dr. Lennerz, “this study was designed as the worst possible scenario to maximize the possibility of electromagnetic interference. Despite this,” he continues, “we found no clinically relevant electromagnetic interference or device malfunctions during the use of high-power chargers, suggesting that there should be no restrictions on their use in patients with cardiac devices.”
He adds that the study focused on high-power charging technology and not home chargers. “Home chargers use a smaller current, but alternating current generates a different magnetic field than direct current,” he explains. “Home charging is probably safe with sensible precautions, such as not staying next to the charging cable for long periods of time”.
“Patients with cardiac devices can rest assured that charging electric cars with high-power chargers is safe,” Lennerz said. “The risk of pacemaker and defibrillator malfunctions is extremely low in this situation. Sitting inside the car or Standing next to the charging cable or charger is also safe, however we would recommend not placing the charging cable directly on the heart device to maintain distance from charging items,” he warns.
