Airport Security and Metal Detectors

[Cherries4life]

Just a question for those of you that have a mechanical valve? I was talking with my surgeon and he said that normally mechanical valves do not set off airport securty metal detectors however the wire that they use to wrap the breastbone has more often. But that with the technology advances it might be possible in the future for the valve itself to make one beep when your walking through it.

Have any of you made a metal detector go off anywhere?

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Good Question.

I believe this has been discussed before and MOST of the time, there is no problem but I'm thinking there have been a couple of reports from certain airports where the Metal Detectors have been set to extremely high sensitivity and the alert was triggered.

You might be able to find that discussion by doing a search for keywords "metal detector" or "airport security". If nothing is found, then try single words which may bring up many unrelated uses of those words as well.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[dick0236]

Have any of you made a metal detector go off anywhere?

I have never had a metal detector go off at an airport, government building,etc although I think about it whenever I have to go thru one.

 

[Bean Counter]

I just flew last week and did not have any issues. My valve is tissue, but have the wires in my chest.

 

[nngbwh]

Never any issues beeping off.

 

[Mentu]

In the last 12 trips through airport scanners, only twice, have my Talons set off airport detectors but they have attracted more attention since the full body scanners started being used. Most of the time, however, metal detectors don't notice them. By comparison, there is only a tiny bit of metal in the valve itself so I think it unlikely that it would trip a scanner.

Larry

 

[malibu82]

In the last 12 trips through airport scanners, only twice, have my Talons set off airport detectors but they have attracted more attention since the full body scanners started being used. Most of the time, however, metal detectors don't notice them. By comparison, there is only a tiny bit of metal in the valve itself so I think it unlikely that it would trip a scanner.

Larry

Hi, this might be a dumb question but when you set the detector off, what happens next? Do they believe you or do you have to carry some sort of paperwork?

 

[Jkm7]

Show them your scar......... if you have a full sternal opening scar, I think that would be sufficient for them to believe you.

I have had two OHS with the usual wire wrapped sternum for each and have never set off airport metal detector.

 

[mainframe]

I tripped an alarm at Sea-Tac right after my first surgery. I mentioned the surgery and they scanned me with a hand held device then let me on my way. Never have tripped an alarm since including flying back from SFO post mech. valve surgery in January.

 

[kpearse]

Never happened to me.

 

[Lily]

My sternum wires must have set the machine off once, in a European airport that seemed to have especially heavy security that day.

 

[tommy]

Hi, this might be a dumb question but when you set the detector off, what happens next? Do they believe you or do you have to carry some sort of paperwork?

Interesting question. Once when I was wanded by hand, my chest set off the buzzer. In addition to the sternum wires, I was also wearing a stainless steel med-alert necklace. I showed the agent the necklace and he shrugged and let me go. So, yes he believed me. If he had made me take off the necklace and wanded me again, it might have escalated and the scar would have been my next line of defense.

Should I carry my valve ID card? Would it matter - anything can be forged. They must have some protocols for dealing with us.

Answer to the original question............I never remember to take off the necklace and no fixed machine has ever flagged me for the wires or necklace. I do occassionaly forget my belt buckle.:rolleyes2:

 

[njean]

My valves have never set off the machines. And you may request to be hand-searched if you feel uncomfortable going through the scanner. I have requested that option many a time and have always been accommodated.

 

[Cherries4life]

Hi, this might be a dumb question but when you set the detector off, what happens next? Do they believe you or do you have to carry some sort of paperwork?

My surgeon said that it wouldnt hurt to carry an ID of some sort that tells what type of surgery you had.

 

[Superbob]

I have a wallet card from Medtronic that gives info on my heart device.

In the year after my surgery, I set off what seemed to be a super-sensitive alarm at a Target in Northern Virginia a couple of times. We thought it must be some metal in my wallet, but never could find anything of that sort. So in retrospect I think it may well have been my sternum wires (which perhaps were closer to the surface of skin at that time? -- I don't know about that)...Anyway...interesting subject.

 

[Mentu]

A week after my valve and talons were registered I received cards for each documenting my implants. If your implants set off security scanners, these cards at least provide a description of the metal inside your chest although most of the "security" people were not very interested in documentation. Still, it seems to me that one is better off carrying them than not. The guards who were uninterested in my cards were much more impressed by the scar and didn't detain me for more than a couple of minutes.

Larry

 

[Jkm7]

In this age of being able to print out most anything we want on our computers, medical cards are of little interest to security officials. They aren't usually interested in seeing knee/hip replacement cards and I imagine heart surgery cards would not be of any more 'evidence'. Scars would seem to be better 'proof'.