In Some Relatively Rare Cases, iPod Headphones May Have Some Impact On Pacemakers
from the struck-by-lightning-twice dept
There have been numerous studies done over the impact various portable electronics devices have on pacemakers, and they often make headlines blown way out of proportion compared to the actual issue. A year and a half ago, for example, we wrote about a report that found that iPods could interfere with pacemakers under some very specific (and somewhat unlikely) circumstances. And now there's a new study making the rounds about how iPod headphones could, maybe interfere with pacemakers, again in some very specific circumstances. As the folks behind the report note, it's so minor that it's not worth causing a big stir about it, but when the headphones are very close to the device, the magnets in them may impact how the device runs. It was a pretty small sample size, but in experiments it happened in 4 out of 27 tests with pacemakers. Slightly more troubling is in cases with defibrillators, where the headphones got in the way 10 out of 33 times. Though, with the pacemakers, it didn't sound as if the interference was all that serious in most cases, and with defibrillators, it seems likely that technicians are likely to notice and remove iPod headphones from getting in the way. While it's good to be aware of the potential for interference, but the actual risk of danger seems pretty minor.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: ipods, pacemakers
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Who designs these things?
I get the same reaction when I see something like this, as when I see big "turn off your cell phones" signs in hospitals.
Who makes critical life-saving equipment and can't be bothered to shield them from such widespread devices as iPod headphones or cellphones?
I mean, sure, when pacemakers were first designed, no one thought we'd all be walking around with portable microwave emitters in our pockets... but now? We're in 2008. These things are commonplace.
What gives?
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Re: Who designs these things?
Not that there is no interference given off by the cell phones, speakers and EKG machines and all of that kind of stuff is almost unavoidable, and while you may be paying a lot of medical bills, most of that goes to the doctors and not to the medical supplies in the hospital.
Just my thoughts on the whole thing
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Re: Who designs these things?
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Ipod Only?
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Re: Ipod Only?
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Re: Ipod Only?
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any magnets will do it..
And how about magna-sleep underlays?
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Re: any magnets will do it..
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14 out of 60 patients were affected (that study didn't include any Ipods or Iphones).
supposedly headphone must be less than 2inches away from the heart and defibrillators are affected more than pacemakers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE4A81SS20081110
Quote 1:
"Most of the headphones had magnetic field strengths more than 20 times higher than the threshold for interfering with pacemakers or defibrillators, he said. They were made by Sony Corp, Philips Electronics and others."
Quote 2:
"MP3 players like Apple Inc's iPod are popular consumer electronic devices. In January, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration researcher said the iPod is unlikely to interfere with pacemakers because it does not produce enough of an electromagnetic field to interfere with the devices."
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Heh
"Hello, we are conducting a medical study. We have on record that you have a pacemaker. We would like to put headphones by your pacemaker and see if it kills you. How does that sound?"
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Interfere with a defibrillator?
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Re: Interfere with a defibrillator?
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There is more than just MP3 Players
and you get a card to show at security checks that use metal detectors that you have a implanted defibrillator and you are not suppose to go through the detector. All places that use them are to have training and provision to accommodate them. even you local stores with the theft devices at the doors can turn them off.
Now why pick on MP3 its just a way to create a uproar and panic to get more people excited. My Granddaughter who has a cochlear implant has turned off her defibrillator by laying her head on grandma's shoulder. Thing is that as soon as her magnet on her head piece moved away from her defibrillator it turned back on and started working again.
There are hundreds of ways to turn off a defibrillator off but none of the others were mentioned just another way to scare people into reading a story and get it plastered everywhere.
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commercial
Medical stories also make me think of my stay in the ER when I overheard the techs talking about the acute lead poisoning victim that came in. My motorcycle had been put rubber side up by an SUV. I needed that like the other guy needed a hole in his head. Ooh, sorry, window seat please.
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bose
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