iPods and Pacemakers Don't Mix

fermion writes "The Register reports a study that indicates that iPods and pacemakers do not get along. While there do not appear to be any long term effects, iPods disrupt the operation of the pacemaker. It is noted that such effects have not previously been observed as iPods do seem to be popular with the pacemaker-wearing population."

Ipod only?

[yakumo.unr]

Despite them being by far the most popular portable digital player, why would this focus purely on the ipod? how can they possibly be doing this, and it not be a problem for other players?

iPods *do* seem to be popular?

[The Iso]

"It is noted that such effects have not previously been observed as iPods do seem to be popular with the pacemaker-wearing population." Is this a typo?

touch sensor, maybe

[SuperBanana]

how can they possibly be doing this, and it not be a problem for other players?

Well, for one thing, the touch-sensitive scroll-wheel is somewhat (though certainly not completely) unique. They use capacitive touch sensing. They utilize a low-voltage, low current AC voltage to measure the change in capacitance when you move your finger over the sensor. The googles say 102kHz is common.

My "second generation" nano produces a high-pitched noise whenever it's on- it's noticeable if you have it within 2 feet or so of your head. I'm pretty sure it is the inverter that generates the AC current, but if it's 120kHz, that shouldn't be possible, unless there's a resonant frequency in the audible range.

Maybe the sensor just happens to use a frequency that confuses pacemakers. Now that Apple is aware of the problem, they might do some testing and change it on future iPods.

Re:Ipod only?

[Misch]

Jay Thaker, a student at Okemos High School in Michigan, co-authored the the report with a friend of his father, Dr. Krit Jongnarangsin, an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan.

High school student & assistant medical professor doing the study. Probably not a lot of money to go around and get lots of devices there. Probably used what they had on hand.

Re:Ipod only?

[bay43270]

Patients aren't told as much as you would think. When my infant son got his, we were given a list that basically included anything wireless. It wasn't until we asked around a little before we got more reasonable information.

With that in mind, this article taught me something new. I had always assumed interference was related to the wireless nature of pacemakers. My son's is regularly re-programmed via a wireless device set anywhere near his chest. I had assumed if there was a problem it would be related to whatever memory was being programmed. The ipod article suggests the interference is just an interruption between the device and its leads. They suggest the interference won't cause lasting problems once the patient is separated from the interfering device. That's not something that was in the 50 page booklet that they provided with the pacemaker.

Re:No way in heck

[Fred Ferrigno]

First off, the various standards only set a maximum limit for interference. It is practically impossible to eliminate it entire and the iPod certainly emits its fair share. Secondly, since the heart's electrical signals do not generate very much current, the pacemaker's sensing leads are necessarily very sensitive. They are so sensitive that they will pick up interference from nearby EMI sources. It's a known problem with the fundamental concept of a pacemaker. The manufacturers do their best to protect against it, but mostly the only thing you can do is maintain physical distance.

Re:Regarding sensationalism...

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw you were already modded +5. so I will comment instead of modding you up.

I am an engineer, and share your suspicion this is groundless news sensationalism.

The IPod is NOT a transmitting device. Yes, it does have a processor. And WILL emit *some* EMI. But not that much. If it did, we would have already heard scores of complaints from radio and television owners.

My own observations ( from spectral analysis of existing problems ) is that an ordinary switcher flourescent tube ballast or CRT-based TV set radiates orders of magnitude more EMI than an IPod could ever muster.

Those things are handling powers in the order of tens of watts. The IPod is only working with milliwatts. It has to. Or the batteries would not last very long.

And if the IPod was radiating much EMI, good luck to the analog engineers who had to make its audio innards work.

My own take is this claim is as overblown as the claim that power lines cause cancer.

If the EMF fields of power lines could cause cancer, I suggest all radio amateurs should have died a long time ago, same with CB operators. I have been around fields generating 1KW of power - which is way, way, way more than most people ever get exposed to - quite a bit. If ANYONE gets leukemia from exposure to high energy electronic fields, *I* SHOULD have been FIRST IN LINE!.

The WWII radar operators got exposed to radar beams so strong they melted chocolate bars in their pocket ( which is how we discovered Microwaves made a good cooking appliance... the original Litton RadarRange ). Now, they DID get a glaucoma like problem if the microwaves cooked their eyes, much like the cooking of an egg, as the eyes do not have a mechanism for dissipating heat, and the transparent vitreous humor within the eye will congeal like the white of an egg if heated, but other than that, I have seen nothing.

News senastionalism sells papers, and panics the public. But its just selling FEAR.

Before I get too worked up over it, I want to see the data, and make my decision based on that.

If anyone has been affected by an IPod, I would love to see the pacemaker itself and the spectral analysis of anything the IPod could have emitted which could have possibly affected it.

Until I find supporting evidence ( which I can not imagine there could possibly be any ), I would hold this as a scare story sans merit.

My own EMI analyses show simple lamp dimmers and motor speed controls emit way, way, way more EMI than I could ever see from an IPod. My simple power drill emits EMI so nasty it completely screws up TV all over the house.

I can show you old-style cars whose ignition circuit can screw up the entire neighborhood!

And a lightning bolt? For me, off the scale. But I do design my stuff to take it. I know the biomed engineers are far more into this than I, and my stuff keeps going through thunderstorms.

If one feels insecure, by all means, consult your cardioligist. For me, personally, its not something I would lose sleep, or ditch my IPod, over. My own feeling is that its like blaming a car crash on the inertia of a fly which landed on your car.