Original image by ADAM Inc.
I don't think anyone who is familiar with implanted cardioverter-defibrillators, either because they have one, or because they know how they work, will have been surprised by this headline. But this is the type of news that the radio, television, written press and all kinds of blogs echo, so I think it may be interesting to discuss this issue in Actualidad iPad. For those of you who do not know what we are talking about, an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is a small device, similar to a pacemaker, that is implanted under the patient's skin, and is connected by electrodes to the heart. Its mission is to detect possible heart rhythm disturbances that can be fatal, and when it detects them, deliver an electric shock to the heart to return it to its normal rhythm.
The news is that a 14-year-old girl, in a science project, has studied the effect of placing an iPad directly on the chest of an ICD patient. As expected, the DAI is deactivated due to the magnets that the iPad has for the fixation and operation of the smart cover. And I say as expected, because the ICDs are precisely prepared so that when a magnet is brought close to the device, it is inactivated as a safety measure. The same study also reveals that with normal use of the iPad there is no problem, only when it is placed on the chest.
All the recommendations that are always indicated to patients using this type of device always include the warning that no magnet should be close to the DAI, to avoid this unwanted and dangerous effect, since although most of the time the device reactivates normally when the magnet is separated, this may not be the case and it will be permanently inactivated.
In fact, if we look for the iPad user guide on the official Apple website, it is perfectly reflected that the iPad has magnets that can interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators or other medical devices. Therefore, Apple gives us the recommendation of do not bring the device closer than 15 cm to a pacemaker due to electromagnetic fields. And not only the iPad, but the Smart Cover and Smart Case, which also have magnets, appear among the elements that must be taken into account by people who have these implanted devices.
More information - New functions of the Smart Cover in a patent
Source - iMore
Image - SHC