New Evolv Scanners and Implants

elvispursley

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Does anyone have any info on whether or not you can go through the new Evolv scanners at the security check points if you have any kind of electrical implants? My mom has a pacemaker and can't do any kind of X-ray/body scanners and has to be hand checked. I have an insulin pump and an implanted CGM and am not supposed to do X-ray/body scanners either. Looking on the website for Evolv I haven't been able to find any information.
 
Honestly, this is the only discussion I can find anywhere regarding how those scanners work (Thanks to @cobright for the info there!) and that thread is, to be honest, mostly about metal medical implants - like hips, knees, staples, etc.

This may be something where, out of an abundance of caution, you reach out to the manufacturer(s) of these implanted devices and/or your related medical specialists, to see what, if anything they know about how these scanners will work with your implants.

You can also call Disability Services at (407) 560-2547 or email disability.services@disneyparks.com and see if they have any info on these specific types of implants, and how the Evolv scanners handle them.

I'm sorry I don't have more help!
 
The Evolv scanners are millimeter wave scanners, per their website.

According to this article from 2018, millimeter wave body scanners may be safe for pacemakers: https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardi...7/59/sun-830am-security-bodyscanners-esc-2018

However, one would be best to consult one's physician and device maker on that first.

To be safe, anywhere those type of devices are used allows one the option to opt out and be hand searched if one has an implanted medical device. I don't think they will stop that practice until there is 100% certainty that the scanner is 100% safe always [and for liability reasons will they ever claim it is even if it is ?].
 
Here is some info that may help: https://www.diabetesadvocacy.com/traveling-with-an-insulin-pump-and-cgm/

It seems some of the issue is that with some CGM they *have not been tested* with millimeter wave scanners -- so they don't know if it is safe or not. Therefore, for those models, don't take them through it.

From this manufacturers page https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/loop-blog/tsa-screenings-update-for-people-with-diabetes/ it looks like they have done some testing and it sounds like the issue with the millimeter wave devices at airports may be some emit x-rays [which are a problem for CGMs] -- the way their advice is worded I would interpret it as ... since some of the AIT emit xrays and you have no idea of knowing which do and which don't , you have to assume it does and therefore don't put the CGM through it ...

Don't know if there may be other issues they don't mention or if the xray issue is the only issue.

Personally, given that, I would extend that to any mm-wave system [not just the airport based ones] to be on the safe side unless you were absolutely certain it was definitely safe. Personally, for me, if it was my device, I would probably want my medical device manufacturer to be the one telling me "yes, we tested that mm scanner and it is safe for your device".

SW
 
Sort of a Dis-ed if you do and Dis-ed if you don't on this one.
My mom has a pacemaker and can't do any kind of X-ray/body scanners and has to be hand checked.
Mom can likely go through an x-ray or millimeter wave scanner (says the AHA) but not a traditional metal-detector...
I have an insulin pump and an implanted CGM and am not supposed to do X-ray/body scanners either.
While your CGM should absolutely not get touched by x-rays, but magnetic fields such as used by a traditional metal-detector arch shouldn't bother it.

Of course one should never take life-death advice from strangers on the internet but I'll use this as an opportunity to point out a favorite tactic of physicians giving just this sort of information to their patients.

Doctors prefer to give as little instruction as possible. The thinking is, give the patient fewer things to remember. Let's say there are four distinct technologies employed in walk-through security screening arches. There's probably more, but I can think of the four main ones off the top of my head... so we go with four for now. To the average user of them, all four technologies seem more or less the same. You walk through or you stand within an arch for a few seconds and if you forgot a couple of pennies in your pocket a security guard scowls at you for wasting everyone's time. Of these four technologies, one of them, the magnetometer based metal detector, will screw up your mom's pacemaker. Likewise, one of the four, x-ray backscatter imaging, will wreck your diabetic testing equipment. The other two technologies, active and passive millimeter-wave scanning, almost certainly won't impede the function of either your CGM or your mother's pacemaker.

So a doctor creates a category of activities, using a walk through security scanner, and proscribes that, categorically. This achieves the physician's goal of keeping you alive and he doesn't have to bear the hassle so it's a win-win. I'm not even suggesting this is a bad strategy. But if the doctor isn't telling you exactly what your medical device should avoid and why, you might be subjecting yourself to hardships or lost opportunities that you really don't need to.

Sometimes they just don't know, or don't feel like they need to explain themselves. For example, I asked a half dozen or more physicians and specialists, by what action does an x-ray scanner damage diabetic testing equipment before I got an actual or correct answer. X-Rays are ionizing radiation, glucometers function by measuring an electrical reaction between an oxygen sensor and an oxidase catalyst reagent. Ionizing radiation will alter, both, how the reagent reacts and how the sensor is calibrated. Now I can ask if millimeter-wave body scanners affect the equipment in the same way. Medical specialist gets back to me and says they shouldn't. MM-Wave is at the other end of the spectrum, and is non-ionizing. Cool. Now we know.

I'm not trying to sew doubt in one's healthcare professionals. They are the best source of the safest, simplest approach. But pressing them for a more thorough explanation can pay dividends.
 
Thank you to everyone who answered!! This is the most thorough of answers I've received so far! I asked on other forum and no one had a clue. I've reached out both to Tandem (the maker of my insulin pump) which coordinates with Dexcom for my CGM. There definitely is a whole section on X-rays, etc in my 4" user manual but as mentioned above, Tandem basically says avoid all X-rays and body scanners as they don't know how the pump and CGM will react.
 
Thank you to everyone who answered!! This is the most thorough of answers I've received so far! I asked on other forum and no one had a clue. I've reached out both to Tandem (the maker of my insulin pump) which coordinates with Dexcom for my CGM. There definitely is a whole section on X-rays, etc in my 4" user manual but as mentioned above, Tandem basically says avoid all X-rays and body scanners as they don't know how the pump and CGM will react.

From the Tandem website it appears they fall in the "we have not tested it so don't know what will happen, therefore don't take your device through it" category.

See https://support.tandemdiabetes.com/...ith-an-insulin-pump-from-Tandem-Diabetes-Care

QUOTE - bold & underline added for emphasis:

What about other security screening devices?

- Metal detector: YES. Ok for Tandem Pumps. Notify security agent in advance that you are wearing a pump, since the pump will be detected.

- Baggage X-ray machines: NO. Notify the security agent that your pump should not be exposed to X-rays and request an alternate means of screening. (e.g. pat down or disconnect at site and ask for hand inspection of device.)

- Full body scanners: NO. Although the newer models of these scanners are not X-rays, we have not tested Tandem pumps with these devices. We recommend requesting an alternate means of screening. (e.g. pat down or disconnect at site and ask for hand inspection of device.)

END QUOTE
 


I also just read on Dexcom's website that "When wearing your G6, ask for hand-wanding or a full-body pat down and visual inspection instead of going through the Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) body scanners (also called a milimeter wave scanner)." So I guess that puts the question of at least me going through the Evolv scanners as a definite "no" due to the CGM I wear. Again, many thanks to all who helped with this!!! 😊
 
I have an ICD pacemaker plus defib I contacted the manufacturer and was told NOT to go through ANY security detectors only do hand wands. It is ok to be xrayed but not security
 
A few years ago I called Dexcom, back when you were talking to a Dexcom employee.

I asked if a person got in the wrong line and got scanned. First issue is equipment isn't tested and certified. The effect is cumulative. One exposure might be OK. Going through multiple times could be an issue. Some machines have different settings and or might have you pause in the scanning location. Low powered might be OK, higher settings not.

In other words don't go through the scanners even though going through once probably won't kill your cgm or pump.

EDITED TO ADD
I CALLED EVOLV if you avoid the scanning machines at airports you should avoid Evolv machines. They haven't been tested with medical devices.
 
Last edited:
My above answer was with respect to CGM, continuous glucose monitoring. I think at least some pacemakers are compatible with full body scanners.
 

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