iPods a Source of Pacemaker Interference
Study Shows iPod Can Cause Pacemakers to Fail
Ouch.
Just when we all thought that the iPod was the perfect device, it turns out it can be a silent killer. According to a study done by 17 year old Jay Thaker, a student at Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan, iPod interference can lead physicians to misdiagnose actual heart function.
According to Reuters, 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 2 inches from the patient’s chest for 5 to 10 seconds. In some cases, the iPods caused interference when held 18 inches from the chest. Interfering with the telemetry equipment caused the device to misread the heart’s pacing and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.
Obviously most cardiac patients are not iPod users, due in part to the typical age of the patient, but one has to wonder that those using iPods in hospitals and doctor offices, and those who migh be using an iPod while standing or sitting next to someone with a pacemaker (like on the subway), could be jeopardizing the health of that person. Scary.
