Fitness trackers could interfere with pacemakers and defibrillators, study says

BOSTON - Could your fitness tracker be putting your health at risk?

Fitness and wellness trackers in the form of smart watches, rings, and scales that allow consumers to monitor their own heart rates, blood pressure, and other vital signs have exploded in popularity in recent years, but researchers say they could be posing a health risk for certain individuals.

They looked at devices from three leading manufacturers in the lab and found that the tiny amount of electrical current delivered to the body could potentially interfere with certain implantable heart devices like pacemakers and defibrillators, possibly resulting in interruptions in pacing or unnecessary shocks to the heart.

They now need to study how these fitness trackers directly impact people with cardiac implantable devices.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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