Can I wear a Sense with a pacemaker?

[diwestmindcoach]

Can I wear a Fitbit Sense with a pacemaker?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @diwestmindcoach - it would be best for you to ask your doctor directly. I can tell you this from my experience, though ... while I don’t have a pacemaker, I do have have a spinal cord stimulator in my neck and it can be adversely affected by any magnets. I’ve been approved to wear Fitbit wrist devices, but have been instructed not to place them in a shirt pocket at the chest. 

But your doctor, or the pacemaker technician, should give you the final answer. 

[Rich_Laue]

Of course @diwestmindcoach you can wear the Sense. During normal wearing, it is only a few lights that interact with the skin. The magnets on the wrist should not be any problem. 

The question is, can you use the ECG sensor, which interacts with the bodies electrical system, as @SunsetRunner suggests this is a question to ask your doctor. 

Fitbit users are not licensed in your state to give out medical advice. 

[Wferrentino]

The magnet can effect a pacemaker or ICD if it gets too close or especially in sleep mode. 

[Rich_Laue]

If the magnet is strong enough, close enough, and moving fast enough, I agree. How're a magnetic field that isn't fastly building up or collapsing should have little affect. 

Actually a magnet will not affect am LCD and that speaker on top of the monitor has a huge magnet in it. 

Yes a magnet does affect the old tV with a CRT.. But these have a bunch of electrons flowing through a vacuum that are guided by magnetic waves. 

[LZeeW · Accepted solution]

@Rich_Laue   You misunderstood what @Wferrentino wrote.  @Wferrentino wrote ICD, the abbreviation for internal cardiac defibrillator, not LCD.

Anyone with a pacemaker, ICD, spinal cord stimulator, or other implanted device needs to contact the appropriate health care professional for guidance.   The Sense/Versa 3 do not contain magnets.  The magnets are in the charger.  Household magnets can be surprisingly strong.  Only the appropriate health care professional can tell you the safe distance between any magnet and your implanted device.

****Update added as a new post to this thread.

[SunsetRunner]

Great answer, @LZeeW ! I have a correction to my advice which said to contact your doctor. The best info will come directly from the company who created the device. In my case, it was Boston Scientific. After surgery, I got a card with company contact info and also have a representative I can meet with when needed. They know their devices the best!

[LZeeW]

@diwestmindcoach  @Wferrentino  @SunsetRunner  @Rich_Laue   I was COMPLETELY INCORRECT when I wrote that the Versa 3/Sense devices don't contain magnets.  They do!  I was wearing my Versa 3 when I checked the device.  Today, I weighed my Versa 3 to help another user.  My Versa 3 stuck to my postage scale.  I also tested my husband's Sense.  It stuck, too.  This discovery reinforces my statement about checking with the appropriate health care provider.

[Rich_Laue]

I've been very busy with work, but as I connected the charger to the Sense, the charger cable was being pushed away. Yes like polls repeal, unlike poles attract. 

Indeed both devices need magnets. 

However the magnet really needs to be moving in relation to the wrist to have any affect on the body. 

[Doverennee]

I am implanted with an Abbott formerly St Jude pacemaker. I had concerns about purchasing a Fitbit Sense so I called Abbott and spoke with a technical support technician.  It is absolutely safe to wear a Fitbit Sense with a pacemaker as long as you do not place it on top of the pacemaker  and keep at least 12 inches away.

If in doubt always contact the Company that produces your device.

Hope this information is helpful.

[drnelson]

Can I ask how old your device is?  I was implanted with St. Jude device in 2016.  Wondering if the answer from the Company will apply to me also.  Thanks in advance for your answer.

[Doverennee]

HI,
I was implanted 2019, so I am sure the answer goes for you too.

Think it is standard without regards to when any of us is implanted because all pacers are sensitive to magnets.

Hope this is helpful for you. Hope you are doing well being bionic🥰🥰.

I am enjoying my Fitbit Sense.

Blessings

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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[V_Witkowski]

Question?  

Do you where your Fitbit while sleeping? 

Or, do you remove Fitbit when sleeping to prevent getting it within the 12" away requirement?

I do not have an devices but a concern as my husband does.  I am the Fit bit wearer and do not want to risk inadvertently exposing him to a risk while we sleep.

[Rich_Laue]

Apparently, it is the magnet that holds the Sense to the tracker. 

https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/cell-phones/magnets-cell-phones-and-smart-watches-ma...

Some paxemakers include a magnet mode. 

[SunsetRunner]

@V_Witkowski - So happy to hear you are being careful on your husband’s behalf. I have a spinal cord stimulator implanted at the back of my neck. I have to follow safety precautions, too. 

First, I hope you contacted the device manufacturer as others here have advised. They would be able to offer the best advice. If you have not already done so, call the number on the back of the card your husband should have received when the pacemakers was implanted. 

To answer the question if you should remove your Fitbit, it would depend on your sleep positions. For example, if you sleep with your arm across his chest, then, yes, I would take it off. That would be another question to ask when you call.