Death By iPod: Do iPods Affect Pacemakers? May 14, 2007

Read more Gizmodo UK , Music , iPod

That’s the claim of a new study, presented to heart specialists by a bright 17-year a schoolkid in the US.

In a study of 100 patients with pacemakers, Jay Thaker - with some help from a leading cardiologist - said that electrical interference occurred half the time when an iPod was held a few inches from the patient’s chest for just 5-10 seconds. It also occurred sometimes at distances up to 18in away. The result was that the pacemaker’s telemetry device misread the heart’s pacing and, in one case, stopped a pacemaker altogether.

Considering that the mean age of these patients was 77, I’m not sure Apple will be all that worried about losing a key customer segment. As for you old timers, beware all hugs and embraces from nieces and nephews.-Martin Lynch

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