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Medical Center - University of Freiburg clarifies: The manipulation shown in the film is unrealistic - patients can trust their therapy

The crime scene entitled "Ventricular Fibrillation", which will be broadcast on Sunday, September 28, 2025, shows a fictional scenario in which implantable defibrillators are manipulated by hacker attacks and become a deadly danger. An expert from the Heart Center at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg emphasizes: "Implantable defibrillators are safe, life-saving medical devices. The systems are subject to strict international safety standards. They are designed in such a way that unauthorized access is virtually impossible - no such incident has been reported to date. The scenario shown in the film is technically extremely exaggerated.

"A hacker attack like the one shown in the crime scene is almost impossible under real conditions," says Prof. Dr. Dirk Westermann, Medical Director of the Department of Cardiology and Angiology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg Heart Center. "In clinical reality, implantable defibrillators are protected by several levels of security. They require either direct physical access or very specific digital access," Westermann continues.

Cybersecurity in medicine: important, but no cause for concern

Implantable defibrillators are used thousands of times a year, around 20,000 times in Germany alone (as of 2022). They protect patients with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death from life-threatening arrhythmias. Manufacturers, regulatory authorities and hospitals are continuously working to further strengthen the IT security of medical devices. "This debate is generally important in order to further strengthen digital security in the healthcare sector. This does not change the fact that the heart implants used today are already extremely reliable."