wireless charging devices may pose a risk for patients with pacemakers and other implanted medical devices, according to a recent study.
in a study published in the journal of the american heart association,
researchers
placed an iphone 12 pro max on participants’ skin, directly over their implantable cardiac device. the strong magnets contained in these devices were enough to alter how the device functions. this did not happen when the researchers placed the iphone 6 in the same position.
a
separate study
published in the journal heart rhythm found that all iphone 12 models, from max to mini, as well as the apple watch 6, can cause this same interference.
the culprit is the strong rare-earth magnet that these devices use to align with wireless charging devices. with approximately
0.06 per cent
of the canadian population using pacemakers, and strong magnets becoming increasingly common in everyday products, the odds that a patient may come into close contact with such a magnet are starting to creep up.
“
patients [should] keep any consumer electronic devices that may create magnetic interference, including cell phones and smart watches, at least 6 inches away from implanted medical devices, in particular pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators,” reads the study in heartrhythm.