Pacemakers

I recently came across a word of advice for people who rely on a pacemaker to regulate their heartbeat with an electric signal.

I read that heart specialists abroad advise patients to be careful about the way they use cellular telephones.

They state that some can interfere with the pacemaker's function, resulting in abnormalities in heart rhythm, but the effects occur almost always when the phone is held directly over the heart, says a report in a medical journal.

Holding the phone close to the ear does not cause problems and pacemaker patients are advised not to keep them in their breast pockets or hanging down a cord, as is the fashion of late!