Study: IPod could disrupt pacemaker
From Times Wire Services
Apple Inc.’s iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart, according to a study presented by a 17-year-old high school student at a meeting of heart specialists.
The study tested the effect of the portable music devices on 100 patients, whose average age was 77, who were outfitted with pacemakers.
Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held two inches from the patient’s chest for 5 to 10 seconds, causing the pacemaker to misread the heart’s pacing and, in one case, to stop functioning.
