Wii seems safe with pacemakers

doi:10.1136/bmj.a3103

Published 24 December 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a3103
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a3103

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Cardiac pacemakers and Wii

Wii seems safe with pacemakers

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Despite its popularity,¹ concerns exist about the safety ofthe Wii console in patients with cardiac pacemakers becauseof the possibility of electromagnetic interference. The NintendoWii’s remote control uses Bluetooth technology (2.4 GHz)to communicate with the gaming console, and cardiac pacemakersoften incorporate similar technology. This frequency falls withinthe range of electromagnetic interference (450 MHz to 3 GHz),according to the Association for the Advancement of MedicalInstrumentation (AAMI PC69). Nintendo accordingly advises thatthe console, or remote, should not be operated within 9 inches(23 cm) of a pacemaker, and that before use, patients shouldconsult their doctor or the manufacturer of their medical device.

We asked four manufacturers of cardiac pacemakers about electromagneticinterference with their devices and Wii (box).

No reportedincidences of pacemaker interference

Interference likely temporary,restoration of normal pacemaker function once device is outof the immediate vicinity

Bluetooth frequenciesof . . . [Full text of this article]

Ronak Rajani, cardiology specialist registrar¹, Alexander Kumar, foundation year trainee¹, Mateem Jiwani, foundation year trainee¹

¹ Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton BN2 5BE

dr.r.rajani@gmail.com

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