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Traveling with an implanted defibrillator.

Posted by (Eugene, Oregon, USA) on

Our next planned trip, this fall, is to England from the USA.
Since our last trip overseas, my partner has had a heart defibrillator implanted.

Not wishing to experience any sort of surprise going through TSA, or any other European security checks, what precautions did you, if you have an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator, take to make the security checks as painless as possible.
I assume my partner has a medical implant ID card of some sort. Should we have a duplicate of this, in case the card is lost, and carry other documentation?

Did you have any sort of difficultly getting through security?

Do you declare this at the very start of the line?

Thank you ahead of time.... :) "Keep on traveling."

Posted by
1225 posts

I’ve had a pacemaker for over ten years and have travelled internationally perhaps twenty times in that decade (and have flown within the US dozens of times during that decade). I have never declared my pacemaker or had any special treatment or requirements. I walk right through the TSA tunnel just fine and don’t set off any lights or warnings. Ditto the TSA “stand and raise your hands” scanner. HOWEVER do NOT let them “wand” you if you are chosen for a further screening. The wand is magnetic and could affect the electronic device. I’ve been “randomly selected”’for a pat down several times and each time told them I had a pacemaker so they used their hands instead of the wand. A couple of times in other countries (Cuba and France?) a security person came toward me with a wand. I put my hands over my chest, shook my head and said “No! No! Pacemaker! Pacemaker!” And they understood and backed off.

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