Powered by the beat: the everyday impact of pacemakers

A Mean Scoil an Chlochair transition year project is shining a light on the realities of living with a pacemaker and highlighting how limited public understanding can affect those who rely on the life-saving devices every day.

Students Bella Fornaciai, from Mullingar, Lilly Farrell from Castletown Geoghegan, and Eve Bennett, Mullingar, undertook a research-based project aimed at raising awareness of pacemakers and their impact on daily life.

Bella explained that the project had a personal starting point.

“There is a younger person related to me who uses a pacemaker,” she said. “She was born with a congenital heart defect, so she requires a pacemaker to keep her heart in rhythm so that it beats regularly every day.”

The three students designed and distributed an online survey to students and staff using Google Forms, receiving 110 responses.

Lilly said the results revealed a significant gap between perceived and actual understanding.

“Seventy-three per cent of people said they knew what a pacemaker was,” she said. “But when we asked them to describe it, a lot of the answers were inaccurate or only partially correct.”

The survey also showed that awareness of the risks faced by people with pacemakers was particularly low. According to the findings, 60 per cent of respondents did not know about the everyday risks associated with having a pacemaker.

Eve outlined some of the most serious issues: “If people with pacemakers are exposed to strong magnets, the device can malfunction or break,” she said. “That means they can’t get MRI scans, they can’t be near certain equipment like microwaves, and they can’t even use some gym machines because the magnets are too strong.”

She said a lack of awareness can put people at risk.

“Most people aren’t aware of that, and it can be dangerous because someone with a pacemaker could be exposed to magnets when they shouldn’t be.”

The students also researched how widespread pacemaker use is worldwide. Eve said approximately three million people currently live with pacemakers, and around 600,000 new devices are implanted each year.

“We really want to get the word out about pacemakers,” Bella said. “If people understand them better, it makes everyday life easier for those who have them and reduces the struggles they can face.”