What magnets do to pacemackers

Thanks!

by Lavender - 2023-08-29 15:57:34

Very good explanation! I have seen Doug's videos before, always informative!

Thank you

by piglet22 - 2023-08-30 08:29:10

Very good, especially from someone who worked in Medtronic.

In checkups, they always talked about the magnet test but never explained what it did, so you get a bit fearful of what you could potentially do.

No way would I mess around with a powerful magnet close to a pacemaker.

The chances of doing anything like permanent mode changes or damage are small, but I've noticed in electronic components over a number of years, that where copper or brass might have been used before, more are made from cheaper steel, especially the connection leads on discrete components.

Again, the chances of damage are small, but if the soldering were less than perfect, there's a greater chance of a powerful magnet affecting the integrity of the connection. Hopefully, quality control weeds out any defects.

Just as an aside, components are graded according to how they are used.

In order of cheapness and reliability they go from domestic or consumer goods, to commercial goods like office equipment, industrial equipment, military equipment with nuclear and medical goods being top graded.

Thank you thank you!

by Gotrhythm - 2023-08-30 13:00:59

This is exactly the information I was hoping for, and that we all need.

There is something deeply mysterious about magnets. It's just a lump of stuff with no moving parts. We see the effects, but cannot see it do anything to cause the effects. I particularly appreciated the demonstration of how close to the ICD the magnet had to be before the tone was triggered.

Translating the video into actual experience, I'm thinking for the pacemaker recipient all that will happen if you have a brush with a magnetic is that you might feel wierd for a second or less. If you have an ICD, you might not feel anything. But move, just a few inches and everything will go back to normal.

Magnet

by AgentX86 - 2023-08-30 21:41:04

If you brush the (strong) magnet next the ICD, nothing may happen.  But that nothing may include saving your life.  This was the root of all of the warnings about recent iPhones.  If kept next to the ICD (shirt pocket), it might inhibit the defibrillator.

BTW, component grading is a little more complicated than this.  Medical equiment, in particular implanted electronics is about the most benigh environment possible for electroncs.  It will never see any temperature variation more than a couple of degrees. Even commercial  electronics has to survive from 0C to 85C ( 0C to 85C for commercial, -40 to 85C or 150C for industrial.  -40C to 125C or 150C for automotive, -55C to 125C for military).  Then there is space-rated and what's called "down hole" (at the business end of an oil well drill), which is an absurd spec for any semiconductor.

Reliability is another kettle.  Here, space is the highest followed by the others, a LONG way back. Military isn't all that critical because parts are constantly replaced. Even automotive is ahead of most, including non-impllantable medical.

Where medical specs are really tough is the patient safety testing. "Do no harm".  As we've seem with all of the recalls, PM makers aren't so great at engineering their devices for reliability.  They're having failures that the automotive engineers solved long ago, even in the entertainment electronics.

Edit: wording for readability

WOW!!

by docklock - 2023-08-31 11:41:09

What a great informative video.

He has another one that further explains the history of the Reed and the Hall (sp?) switches that goes  in much detail how and why the pacemaker does what it does.

These videos would put lot of questions and concerns to rest after watching them.

magnetic mosquito doors/curtains

by Martino - 2023-09-06 23:30:29

I have magnetic mosquito curtains in the doorway.

I came home from the CRT-D implant and walked through the door.... BEEP

Having no idea what was going on I checked; Bluetooth speakers etc, anything bluetooth, wifi, anything I carried out or into the house garden vv.

I called  Medtronic, they (in Thailand) did not have a clue,  and gave me some directions amongst which; magnets. Coming home I went through the curtain and BEEP.... and suddenly I knew..... the magnetic mosquito curtain.... pfffff