Yes. Standard travel insurance policies may not cover you if you have a medical issue, such as a pacemaker, so you’ll need to seek specialized coverage. If you don’t, you won’t be compensated for any medical or other unexpected costs incurred as a result of your pacemaker.
Using our online medical screening tool, you can easily tell us about your pacemaker.
Can you travel overseas if you have a pacemaker?
You may travel safely with a pacemaker if you know how to prepare and speak with your doctor about any particular precautions you should take. Find out more about passing through airport security, locating a doctor while traveling, and other travel information.
How do you go through airport security with a pacemaker?
Advanced imaging technology can help you get through your screening faster and avoid a pat-down. If you have an artificial knee, hip, or other metal implant, or if you have a pacemaker, defibrillator, or other internal medical device, tell the TSA officer. If you have an internal medical device, such as a pacemaker, you should not be screened by a walk-through metal detector. Before flying, speak with your doctor.
You will be subjected to a pat-down screening if you choose not to be screened using advanced imaging technology or if the walk-through metal detector alarms.
Can a person with a pacemaker go through a metal detector?
Researchers discovered that metal detector security screening is safe for those who have pacemakers or implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).
Even extensive swipes with hand-held metal detectors resulted in no device function issues among the 388 individuals studied by Clemens Jilek, MD, of the German Heart Center in Munich, and colleagues in a simulation of airport screening.
The scientists noted in the Nov. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine that the office-based trial needs to be confirmed in real-world screening settings.
What can’t you do with a pacemaker?
Depending on the type of pacemaker you have, your doctor will implant cables called leads into one or more chambers of your heart. It’s critical to keep your physical activity to a minimum so that the tissue around the leads can heal and the leads don’t shift.
This is why, following the treatment, your doctor would normally advise you to limit your physical activity, lifting, and movement. After pacemaker surgery, you may be able to go home the same day or stay overnight for monitoring.
Your doctor or nurse will give you certain do’s and don’ts to follow following pacemaker insertion surgery before you are discharged. These may include the following:
Do’s
- Get a medical device ID card with information on your pacemaker, such as the manufacturer and the chamber where it’s installed.
- To avoid tensing your muscles, strive to keep your shoulder relaxed and utilize only minor motions.
- Consult your doctor about when your pacemaker should be checked and whether you need any medication adjustments.
- If you have any adverse effects that could indicate that your pacemaker isn’t operating properly, such as dizziness or breathing problems, call your doctor.
- If the pacemaker site is red or heated, or if you have a fever, notify your doctor.
Don’ts
- Don’t get the incision site wet until you’ve gotten permission from your doctor (usually after a follow-up visit or if you need your stitches removed). This usually happens around a week following the treatment.
- To avoid irritating the skin, avoid wearing tight garments over the incision site.
- Excessive physical activity, such as leaning on your arms or stretching your arms aloft or behind you, should be avoided.
- Lifting large objects, such as a hefty purse or a dog or cat, should be avoided, especially on the side of the pacemaker.
How soon can you travel after having a pacemaker put in?
Taking a trip with a pacemaker Once medically stable, people who have had a pacemaker or an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implanted may travel without complications.
How far back do you have to declare medical conditions for travel insurance?
70% of those polled were unaware that they were required to indicate if they had ever been diagnosed with depression.
Although most conditions only need to be disclosed if you’ve been diagnosed with them or had treatment (including repeat prescriptions) for them within a particular time frame, usually two years, some providers will want to know if you’ve ever been diagnosed with them.
Any diagnosed psychiatric or psychological illnesses, as well as heart, pulmonary, circulatory, and malignant conditions, are included in this category.
‘When obtaining any type of insurance, the most important thing to do is to answer all questions as completely as possible,’ Cordey noted.
‘You are not supposed to know what information an insurer may require; it is up to them to ask the appropriate questions.’ If you’re not sure if you need to declare a medical condition or not, phone the insurer and ask.
‘That way, you can relax and enjoy your vacation, knowing you’re totally insured if the worst happens.’