Apple Shares List of Products to Keep Safe Distance Away From Pacemakers

[MadAlienist]

at least they are proactive ...
EVERY device (from ANY company) that emits a RF signal (wifi, BT, cell etc) will impact medical devices. period.

And there have been posts here from folks who wear a pacemaker that they are being advised/educated on this topic

most modern pacemakers and defibrillators are well shielded from RF. They still recommend the 6” distance, but the true risk is low. Magnets though are higher risk. But that risk is manageable. I would not put my phone in my shirt pocket.

 

[axantas]

There should be a device that can alert the pacemaker user of any device that is too close. It could be a chain around the neck to detect and send out an alarm and more sensitive than the actual pace maker for longer distances.

brilliant idea. Kind of something like a peacemaker that reacts in the same way, but just alerts you.

 

[Mr Lizard]

Sounds like a pacemaker rather than an Apple issue. Instead of wanting Apple to design all their products to avoid interference with pacemakers, perhaps pacemakers should include better magnetic shielding instead???

Wow, you clearly don’t understand how pacemakers work do you. Pacemakers are specifically designed to be controlled by magnets so that in the case of certain surgery procedures, features of the device (such as cardiac rhythm detection or the provision of shock) require to be disabled, to prevent the device from killing the patient.

Go read a book on the subject.

 

[I7guy]

iPhones are getting more hazardous with every generation. What will the iPhone 20 bring?

I guess what you are suggesting is that other manufactures products, who haven't come up with list of items, don't have any to report. What you don't know will hurt you. Now let's see other phone and consumer electronics makers come clean.

 

[Anson_431]

microwave. cook your pie below 😂

I think you meant cooking your gentleman's area below. 🤣

 

[Apple_Robert]

I feel like Apple is doing this to protect itself from a possible future lawsuit. There has to be a reason behind it. What do you think it is? Any thoughts?

Apple probably is publishing the information to try and protect themselves from lawsuits. Even with this kind of documentation, it probably won't stop people who didn't bother listening to their doctor or reading the information from the manufacturer of the pacemaker and defibrillator.

The way you worded your previous post, it looked like you were saying Apple was at fault.

 

[Basic75]

microwave. cook your pie below 😂

It's a mobile phone, it's not too far off a mini microwave.

 

[ctdonath]

Feels like pacemaker and defibrillator companies are not willing to really progress, because the existing products sell well and they can comfortably hide behind the stance of required reliability and proven technology. Probably still using ancient Z80 processors and telling themselves they’re bleeding edge … /sarcasm

When you’re going to put a computer inside someone for 10 years, with good chance they’ll die if anything goes wrong, you advance the technology slowly.

Actually nice to know the only thing I need to reset my pacemaker to defaults is a magnet. I’ve needed it, and felt much better after.

 

[CARIB_APPLE]

I think Mag Safe for the iPhone was a mistake. It isn't much of an improvement over regular Qi. Also considering the issues with wireless charges like the Nomad Base Station Pro which I was so excited to purchase but now will hold off.

 

[Premium1]

Lol. Airpods? Apple Watch? iPhone? iPad? Basically everything? Would have been nice to know that.

I think anything that has a magnet in it apple listed in their list.

 

[Glideslope]

Why do you think a lawsuit is in order? Warnings like this have been gong on for decades. This is nothing new for doctors or those who already have a pacemaker.

Precisely. Try navigating TSA screening machines and hand held metal detectors with a Pacemaker without a Physicians Letter.

 

[polyphenol]

Products to Keep Safe Distance Away From Pacemakers​

Poor wording? Poor thought patterns?

It is self-evident and obvious beyond needing a comment that everything needs to be kept a safe distance away. The issue is what that safe distance is. One femtometre? A metre? A kilometre? Well, at least make sure it is not a negative distance...

 

[HeinoM]

Why do you think a lawsuit is in order? Warnings like this have been gong on for decades. This is nothing new for doctors or those who already have a pacemaker.

I think what he meant is that it seems like Apple feels like they are about to get sued, so their lawyers made them out this list as a CYA. Many of these products have been around forever, so why now?

 

[PC_tech]

Did anyone mention the security scanners at Airports?
This is not really something new and certainly not something for Apple bashing. An electric toothbrosh seems to be quite hazardous as well, as it is driven by a motor containing magnets. Not to forget a hairdryer, you wave around your head. 😬

The magnets in those 2 devices are tiny 🙄🙄🙄

 

[mansplains]

Time for Apple to design a pacemaker that plays nicely with the other products! And uses W1 for seamless pairing to the Health app.

 

[Maconplasma]

It's comical how a few here are acting holier than thou saying this is Apple's responsibility. It's not. Pacemakers have been in existence for many years and doctors certainly instruct their patients to stay away from certain electronic objects. Microwaves have always been known about but the pacemaker patient already knows about electronic equipment especially ones that put out radio waves.
Typical MR forum. Expecting a company to create their products to accommodate all types of health issues and surgical procedures. It's only because it's Apple that people act this way. 🙄

 

[Maconplasma]

I feel like Apple is doing this to protect itself from a possible future lawsuit. There has to be a reason behind it. What do you think it is? Any thoughts?

Then every other tech company would be doing the same thing. There's always a reason behind something but this forum acts like they are entitled to know the reasons. Nope.

 

[iamasmith]

I notice this doesn't list AirTags which are definitely magnetic, it's probably just the little speaker but I'm quite often finding a coin stuck to my AirTag when I take my keys out of my pocket now... or usually it's just enough to get out of the pocket then get dislodged because I didn't notice it stuck there and I have to chase the damned thing as it rolls away.

 

[bb9]

At least Apple tells you, oher brands, not so much!

 

[bviz2]

This is not unique to Apple. Please refer to this article from the American Heart Association.

 

[Neodym]

The issue is that these devices use magnets to activate and change their programming. That tech is pretty old, but it is reliable. The magnets must be very close, in the skin or near the skin. So shielding would sort of defeat the purpose. Could the tech be something different? Don’t know. It’s old and robust. Kind of hard to reboot the device under the skin.

IIRC you have to have a surgery every couple of years to change the battery (could be model-dependant ofc), so some kind of direct access could be available on a regular basis.

 

[mikethemartian]

Sounds like a pacemaker rather than an Apple issue. Instead of wanting Apple to design all their products to avoid interference with pacemakers, perhaps pacemakers should include better magnetic shielding instead???

Per Maxwell’s Equations all magnetic field lines are closed. Unlike electric field lines that can be open or closed you cannot shield against magnetic field lines. The most you can do is divert most of the magnetic flux by giving it an alternate path of higher permeability.

 

[fatihayoglu]

IIRC you have to have a surgery every couple of years to change the battery (could be model-dependant ofc), so some kind of direct access could be available on a regular basis.

In normal use sometime between 6 years to 15, so not couple of years.

 

[mikethemartian]

Yes, Apple has overlooked the implications of adding such strong magnets to their lineup. Clearly their fault!

On the other hand I think it isn’t unreasonable to expect pacemaker companies to get rid of 1960’s technology and acknowledge that the world has turned. Life has changed since the days of the original conception of controlling a pacemaker or defibrillator via magnet.

And it’s not only electronic devices like Apple gadgets that pose a problem to these devices: When my father needed a defibrillator, it was difficult to a find a model that was approved for MRT, which was necessary for regular checkups due to his medical situation. Is this now the MRT developer’s fault that they did not consider pacemakers?

Feels like pacemaker and defibrillator companies are not willing to really progress, because the existing products sell well and they can comfortably hide behind the stance of required reliability and proven technology. Probably still using ancient Z80 processors and telling themselves they’re bleeding edge … /sarcasm

Designing robust medical equipment takes a lot more care than making wireless earphones.

 

[xlii]

This story prompted a memory. 1971, basic training, fort Dix, NJ. There was a building with a microwave oven in it. The front door had a little tiny sign with little tiny lettering. You had to get about 5 feet from it just to read the warning.

Warning
Microwave Ovens inside
Do not approach within
50 feet of this building
If you are wearing a pacemaker

Reality really is stranger than fiction.