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Doctor: Headphones could damage pacemakers
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A Scottsdale Healthcare physician is warning patients with pacemakers not to hold their iPod or MP3 player headphones too close to the implant, as the result could be potentially life threatening.
Thomas Mattioni, director of arrhythmia services at Scottsdale Healthcare, began research five years ago on the effects that magnets inside the speakers have on pacemakers.
A recent report from the American Heart Association confirmed Mattioni's research.
The research found the magnets inside headphones caused dangerous interference to pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, affecting 25 percent of the patients studied.
The magnets can prevent the devices from performing functions to keep the heart beating properly, Mattioni said.
"The speakers in headphones have tiny magnets, some of which can be very powerful," he said.
Mattioni said anyone with a pacemaker should be aware where they place their headphones while they aren't listening to music.
"We recommend people keep powerful magnets an inch or two away from the implanted device," he said.
Therapeutic magnets used in some mattresses and pillows were not found to be powerful enough to cause any problems.
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