Interference from iPod

Hi friends,
I just want to check with you all if anyone can give me an explanation for my recent experience. I have an ICD, dual-chamber paced, am PM dependent and have a ventricular lead Sprint fidelis under recall. My husband and I went for a drive the other evening and he decided to play his iPod MP3 player in our car; He tried to sync it with the tuner and played MP3 songs. The moment he turned it on I felt really awful...my heart skipped so many beats and felt tremendously weird for few minutes. It was like runs of PVCs and then my heart felt as if it stopped for a few seconds! I couldn't for the life of me think what had hit me until I felt worse; I became breathless and was getting this "blacking out" feeling. I then decided that I had to request that he had his iPod switched off to see how I'd feel. Almost immediately I felt better!
My question is, the player was a at least 2-1/2 to 3 feet away from where I sat.(next to driver seat) Can that even affect my device? I'm really scared...esp. what with the recall of a possible faulty lead and that makes things much worse for me.
Please enlighten me..Thanks.

Bunnykin

5 Comments

kinda like that;

by Todd - 2008-01-22 10:01:33

I guess it was a week after i got my pm that I went back to work, was working with my deskto for about an hour and my heart took off, now I got my pace makker shocker, yeow it shocked me,you probably know the drill. ambulance, hospital, drs standing around, my heart started to go fast, they shocked me, then back to my Dr installer, now I'm on a bunch of drugs, they make feel bad but no heart take off and I got rid of my lap top. I was right up against it, my dr. doesn't think it's the cause. Hey girl, you hang in there, Sometimes it's scary as hell but they'll get it ok soon/todd

Maybe FM signal

by hotform - 2008-01-22 11:01:33

Was your husband using one of those units that hooks to his iPod and sends an FM radio signal to the receiver in the vehicle?
If so, perhaps it is something akin to using a cell phone to close to your unit and having a problem. That signal that is being sent out by the unit is not going in a straight line to the receiver, but is moving in a circular pattern to any receiver close enough to pick it up. Your unit is receiving this signal for some reason.
My suggestion would be that if your car stereo has an Aux. mode, then your husband should hook his iPod with a cable to that. Using that cable to stereo hookup is the same as hooking up headphones to the iPod. Some vehicles have the Aux. built into the stereo unit but you have to buy a cable from the manufacturer. I was just looking into this the other day as my wifes Suzuki Grand Vitara has the Aux. and I found directions online to make a cable and hook up for $10 with parts from Radio Shack.
If the vehicle stereo doesn't have the Aux. then you could consider replacing it with a new unit from somewhere like Crutchfield. You can pick a stereo with that function and they give you everything you need to install it. Not handy. No problem, any competent handyman can do it. Rick

Thank you all...

by bunnykin - 2008-01-23 01:01:38

Hi,
Having read your comments I'm more inclined to think that you're correct; Hotform, Peter and Bionic_Laura thanks. My husband and I agree that it was most probably due to his trying to sync with the car's tuner via FM transmission. I must not allow myself to go near it whenever anyone tries to pair such device in future. I really felt quite sick...passing out and had lots of weird palpitations.My heart felt like it stopped for a few seconds.
Many thanks for your help.

Bunnykin

INTERFERENCE

by peter - 2008-01-23 03:01:39

I recently posted some comments on a study about interference caused by IPODS.It did not go down to well. There are two problems .Firstly permanent magnets in all sorts of devices which if placed close to your pacemaker will close the magnet reed switch in the pacemaker and usually change the pacing rate whilst near your pacemaker. Magnets are found in any device with a speaker including cellphones and many other items as well. The second type of interference does not require a magnet but is caused by electromagnetic radiation or radio waves as they are more commonly caused. This is a grey area. I have one neighbour who claims his microwave interferes with his pacemaker if he goes near it. It does not affect me. IPODS are very high tech devices and can emit some complex radio waves that can in some circumstances interfere with pacemakers. I personally avoid them. But I am sure most pacemaker patients are not finding a problem with an IPOD. Its up to the individual to decide what risks he or she is willing to take. I for instance would not use an arc welder but I might use a low powered mig welder. Im still thinking about it. WE must remember that modern electronic devices tend to radiate electromagnetic waves. In most cases this is a minute amount of energy and it wont interfere with your pacemaker but if you look at any purchase these days it never says on the paperwork/instructions, this item is guaranteed not to interfere with pacemakers. You just need to be sensible. If you find a problem just avoid it. Cheers Peter

Ipod interference

by bionic_laura - 2008-01-23 06:01:36

Hi there,

There was a study recently on the internet about ipods and pacemaker interference. This wasn't a medical (or pacemaker manufacturer) study using double blind trials and multiple devices to find pacemaker interference. This study has now been taken as fact. I would take it with a large pinch of salt.

I'm a physicist and worked with very high powered electronic devices such as lasers with my pacemaker in and experienced no problems. There are some devices with large magnets which will interfere with pacemakers and ICD's but by health and safety laws rooms with such devices have to have warning signs. In fact I worked in a room beside such a device and still had no problems. I just couldn't be within a few feet of it.

As long as you keep electronic devices about 6-10in from your pacemaker you should experience no problems since fields from devices are generally small and electric fields drop off as an inverse square law meaning they fall off quickly. Also modern pacemakers are well shielded from spurious electric fields since peoples lives depend on them.

I'd say if you have a problem it's more likely to be with the fm transmitter used to transmit to the ipod to the radio not the ipod itself. The transmitter uses radio waves which could interfere with a pacemaker. Medtronics website warns that radio transmitters should be kept away from the pacemaker. I believe radio waves are used to interrogate the pacemaker and change settings so an fm transmitter might cause a problem if it's too near the pacemaker. I have an fm transmitter myself and have found them not to be a problem.

Bionic Laura

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