Diabetes and Your Heart Health— What We Want You to Know
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3 Tips for Safe Travel with a Pacemaker
You got a pacemaker to help you live life to the fullest. For many, living life to the fullest means traveling. So, suppose you’re among the 3 million Americans who have pacemakers and your future travel plans involve airports or other areas with security screening. Here are a few things you need to know as you prepare for your trip.
Thanks to heightened security in travel centers around the world, people with pacemakers and other implants must be more mindful about metal detectors and advanced imaging.
To shed some more light, we turn to the team of heart health experts at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists. Whether we implanted your pacemaker or not, here are some good rules for navigating travel with a pacemaker.
1. Carry your medical device ID card
When you receive a pacemaker, we also provide you with a medical device ID card that you should carry with you at all times. This card is helpful in emergencies and for travel.
When you arrive at your travel center (we’ll just say airport from here on out for the sake of simplicity), you should have a few important documents on hand, including your plane ticket, government-issued ID, and any other pertinent ID, which includes your medical device ID card.
Even if all these are in digital form, make sure you have one place on your phone or tablet where they’re easily accessible. When you encounter your first security agent, show them the medical ID card so that they can guide you into the right lanes for security checks.
2. Choose your security option
Airport security has several tools available to them, including:
- Walk-through metal detectors
- Advanced imaging technology (AIT)
- Hand screening with a wand
- Pat-down
People with pacemakers should avoid walk-through metal detectors, which can affect the function of internal medical devices like pacemakers. Instead, we prefer that you use AIT or manual pat-down screening. You can also undergo a wand screening, but tell the agent not to linger over the pacemaker too long.
The Transportation Security Administration recommends using the AIT whenever available to facilitate the process and avoid invasive pat-downs.
3. See us before you travel
If you’re traveling to an exotic location or you have some concerns about your cardiovascular health, it’s always a good idea to check with us before embarking on your trip. During this visit, we can make sure that everything is functioning well with your pacemaker, and we can also review some contingency plans should anything go wrong. For example, we can check ahead at your destination to identify where you can get the appropriate help, should you need it.
The bottom line is that traveling with a pacemaker isn’t all that cumbersome, and you should be just fine. After all, that’s why you got the device — to get out there and live.
If you have more questions about traveling with a pacemaker or you’d like to schedule a pre-travel visit with us, contact our office in Mountain View, California, to schedule a consultation.
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