(P107) AMUSEMENT PARK RIDES AND CARDIAC DEVICES: HEART DROPPER OR HEART STOPPER?

Background: Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) - pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, loop recorders - are increasingly prevalent in children with cardiac conditions. Guidance is given to patients to avoid electromagnetic interference (EMI), which can affect CIED function. A magnetic field strength of 10,000 milligauss (mG) is generally considered clinically significant. Amusement parks typically have signs advising caution in patients with cardiac conditions. Rides that rely on linear induction motors (LIMs) or magnetic braking systems are known to generate a magnetic field. However, there is limited data on whether amusement park rides are unsafe due to EMI. This study aims to assess magnetic fields on various amusement park rides to evaluate the risk of EMI with CIEDs.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Magnetic field strength was recorded using gaussmeters (GQ Electronics-LLC) on 15 amusement park rides: 11 with a health advisory message and 4 without. Ride characteristics were taken from the amusement park website. Gaussmeters were placed at shoulder level and abdomen level, typical pediatric CIED sites. Each ride was trialed at least 4 times, and the median and maximum magnetic field strength over the course of the ride (epoch 1 second) were recorded. Two-sample t-tests compared magnetic field strengths between groups (mean difference [dˉ], 95% confidence interval [CI]).

The mean of the median magnetic field strength for rides with a health advisory message was 2.9mG vs 1.6mG for rides without a health advisory (dˉ=-1.3; CI=-2.6, -0.02; p=0.05). The maximum magnetic field strength was significantly higher for rides with a health advisory than those without (46.4mG vs. 6.5mG; dˉ=-39.8; CI=-56.6, -23.1; p< 0.001). Rides using LIMs (n=2/15) exhibited significantly higher maximum magnetic field strengths compared to those using other mechanisms (211.7mG vs. 7.8mG; dˉ=203.9; CI=166.2, 241.5; p< 0.001). Additionally, rides categorized as having significant elevation changes (n=2/15) had a greater maximum magnetic field strength than rides without (90.8mG vs. 23.7mG; dˉ=67.1; CI=21.9, 112.4; p=0.005). There was no difference in the maximum magnetic field strengths between the shoulder (33.0mG) and abdomen (41.3mG) positions (dˉ=-8.3; CI=-34.6, 18.0; p=0.53).

Conclusion: The magnetic field strengths recorded in all trials were clinically insignificant, indicating the low risk of EMI with CIED function during amusement park rides. Rides with health advisory messages exhibited higher maximum magnetic field strengths, but this factor alone is not indicative of EMI risk for patients with CIEDs. Further validation of these findings will allow more specific guidance to patients with CIEDs regarding amusement park rides.