Now It's iPods' Turn To Mess With Pacemakers

from the beep-beep-beep-beep dept

Thu, May 10th 2007 11:54pm — Carlo Longino

At one point or another, it seems like every new technology or gadget gets a story where it's either deemed safe or harmful to pacemakers -- such as when some mobile phones were said to interfere with some older pacemakers, while a flimsy-sounding study said WiFi was safe. Now, it's the iPod's turn, and a study in Michigan (led by a high-school student) says that they can interfere with pacemakers. The oh-so-comprehensive study didn't look at other types of media players, just the iPod, and tested the highly-likely-in-the-real-world scenario of an iPod being held two inches from the chest of a person with a pacemaker. Now, if iPods or other MP3 players do mess with pacemakers, that's no good. But given the way these stories always pop up, it seems that instead of implying there's a problem with the gadgets in question, perhaps it's time to start looking at ways to make pacemakers a little more resistant to interference so every new gadget isn't a cause for concern?

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20 Comments

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XCetron, 11 May 2007 @ 12:37am

I agree with the proposed solution here.
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Dr. Klahn, 11 May 2007 @ 2:12am

Can't quite believe that
It's been a long time since pacemakers were adjusted with bar magnets. Cordis, Medtronic and other pacemaker manufacturers now use digital communication methods to talk to the pacemaker internal CPUs. Those methods are designed specifically to eliminate problems of this type.
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RG, 11 May 2007 @ 5:37am

Unlike most of your readers, I actually wear a pacemaker and I would like to point out a few things:
(1) Pacemakers are pretty sophisticated. The battery in mine is scheduled to last about 10 years. I wish my iPod battery lasted 1% of that time.
(2) I could easily imagine an iPod, especially a shuffle, being two inches from my pacemaker in a shirt or jacket pocket.
(3) A lot of the warnings about pacemakers are overblown. I carry a card that says I wear a pacemaker and I'm supposed to show that when going through airport security so I can be checked with a wand rather than the regular metal detector. I tried that a few times but it takes longer so now I just go through the regular way and my pacemaker still works fine.
(4) Pacemakers are expensive! I don't even know how much mine cost fully installed because insurance paid for it but it was WAY more expensive than an iPod (even an iPod video).
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Neall McLaren, 11 May 2007 @ 6:17am

Wow give the Guy a PhD - what a comprehensive study
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Sanguine Dream, 11 May 2007 @ 6:18am

Hold on...
Exactly what is an iPod giving off that would cause such interference? Devices that interfere with pacemakers are actively giving off some sort of signal, energy, or something that messes with the pacemaker. I didn't know that iPods were transmitting anything like that.
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Richard Ahlquist (profile), 11 May 2007 @ 7:00am

but....
Also keep in mind some pacemakers have 'receivers' to transfer data and even firmware back and forth. So you cant completely shield them off. One of the folks I know used to joke about upgrading her grandfather.
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That guy, 11 May 2007 @ 7:06am

This makes me mad...
the nerve of some people to point out a potentially life threatening scenarios that could likely happen.

But your right, they probably shouldn't have pointed out that someone would die until they at least checked out the same scenario with a Zune. Leave it to a high school kid to test with only the most common MP3 player on the market, using the highly likely scenario of someone having a iPod in their shirt pocket, or around their neck or even using the popular arm band. A true researcher would have started with the least common worst selling mp3 player and worked their way up to the iPod. You can tell this kid must be a PC and Microsoft lover, what other logic could he have for going with an iPod?

And good for you for calling out those lazy scientist for not making their pacemakers foolproof against yet to be determined unique electromagnetic and radiation fields. If they weren't so busy listening to their zunes, I bet they would have come up with the perfect pacemaker by now.
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Will, 11 May 2007 @ 7:18am

For atleast the last 10 years, pacemakers have been well shielded against EM fields generated by basic home/office electronic equipment. Sure, you don't want to go hugging some nice big magnets, but unless you're using a seriously f'ed up iPod, it's going to have a sum total zero effect.
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Wyatt, 11 May 2007 @ 7:25am

Wow
I hope that was sarcasium.. Like RG said they are very sophisticated devices. And like Sanguine said, what could they possibly be giving off that would interfere with a pacemaker? I mean, unless they are sending secrete signals back to Steve J about your listening habits. Humm.... Seems this is overblown, somewhat like the cell phones on air planes. These devices are designed to work well because they have lives depending on them. But we need a little more excitement in America, so rather than studying something important lets waste more time on things that are irrelevant.

Did anyone know that hair dryers dry out your hair, making it fall out faster for men? I did a study on it in my bathroom.. Theres just no other reason for the hair loss..
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E. Vile, 11 May 2007 @ 7:49am

Ipods are EVIL, this is hardcore PROOF.
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Feral, 11 May 2007 @ 7:52am

I'll check with my dad
My dad works with pacemakers and other types of devices in his job at the local hospital I'll ask him tonight what he thinks.
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Dosquatch, 11 May 2007 @ 8:13am

Wondering
FTFA: The study tested the effect of the portable music devices on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just two inches from the patient's chest for five to 10 seconds.

researcher 1:"Awwwright! We got us another twitcher!!"

researcher 2:"Doitagin! Doitagin!!"
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Dosquatch, 11 May 2007 @ 8:16am

Re: Wondering
FTFA: ...and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.

researcher 1:"Um....."

researcher 2:[ERROR: Researcher 2 has left the building]
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dorpass, 11 May 2007 @ 9:04am

Re:
RG, so you imagine that a shuffle can be in your shirt pocket... but can you tell me which iPod was tested for this study? Though so.

This study is ridiculous and the write up on it is certainly does not help. I can't even understand if these are hard drive based iPods or flash based. It would've also helped to test out other MP3 players and PMP players. And laptops while at it.

I don't have an iPod and could care less about it winning/losing the sales battle, but some of the articles out there seem like paid-for assassination jobs (iPod's cause hearing damage for one) where somewhat reasonable concern is highlighted only when an iPod is used. Ridiculous.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 May 2007 @ 9:23am

Re:
I frequently put my iPod in my shirt pocket which would be within two or three inches of my heart.
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Someone Who Actually Knows Something, 11 May 2007 @ 9:58am

I work for one of the pacing companies (actually on the device Tech Support team) and we tested this this morning. Absolutly no issues. I think it was irresponisble for the media to release this information in its incomplete form. All modern pacers use internal filters to keep the device for sensing low level interference. It generally takes a significant signal (think MRI or defibrillation) to really affect the device. Even then, most devices have protective circuitry to keep the patient supported.

Typical media issue of not relaying all the information and creating a panic. This morning we have recieved at least 40 calls from concerned patients when there is no need for concern. Leave it to some stupid 17 year old kid who has no understanding of how these devices or wireless telemetry works to create a scare and the associated press to follow right behind him.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 May 2007 @ 11:57am

Phew, I thought my pacemaker would interfere with my Ipod. Good thing it is just the other way around.
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rEdEyEz, 11 May 2007 @ 1:02pm

hip-hop grammy
From the makers of the iPod™, comes the new 12Gb iPace™, - for the senior citizen who "wants to have that extra hitch in their step!"

Syncopated arrhythmia never felt so good!

...now safe for NYC jaywalkers...
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Sushi Suzuki, 11 May 2007 @ 1:10pm

How about...
having a compliance mechanism for CE devices so that they can protect themselves from these claims and for journalists to stop reusing the same stories for the next big thing.
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Kevin, 11 May 2007 @ 9:44pm

To #14, they tested a 3rd gen iPod, a photo ipod, a video ipod, and a nano. (Google is your friend -- believe it or not the researchers didn't just produce a Reuters article.) Won't all ipods fit in a shirt or jacket pocket?

Well said #7, I'm with you.
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