Research presented this week at an American Heart Association conference warns of the potential dangers headphones can impose on implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. In a study of 60 people with these devices researchers found when headphones were about an inch from the device, interference was detected nearly one-fourth of the time — in four of the 27 pacemaker patients and 10 of the 33 with defibrillators. A pacemaker even reset itself in one patient. This interference occurs whether the headphone is plugged in or not. The reason this happens is because headphones, especially small earbud types, contain neodymium, one of the most powerful and concentrated magnetic substances. Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen, a heart device expert at Virginia Commonwealth University and a spokesman for the heart association, said the solution is simple: “Keep your headphones on your ears and when they’re not on your ears, you shouldn’t put them over your chest or your pacemaker.” Although headphones are still safe to use, in general it is a good idea to keep small electronics at least a few inches away from any implanted cardiac devices.
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Tags: cardiac, defibrillator, headphones, heart, implant, interference, magnet, pacemaker
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.