Magnets in the iPad2 and its smart cover can turn off defibrillator implants | Hacker News Reader

Magnets in the iPad2 and its smart cover can turn off defibrillator implants

recordnet.com

28 pointschemcoder10 comments

"The magnet mode is a feature of ICDs which allows emergency suppression of defibrillator therapy when a donut magnet is placed over the device ... With the removal of the magnet, tachycardia sensing and therapy are restored" [1]

If this applies to all ICDs equally then the risk is limited to the time that the iPad2 remains on their chest (e.g snoozing, reading in bed, etc).

I think projects like this are cool. If there was a 30% chance of a relative's pacemaker being affected by an external device, I'd think twice about buying them said device.

[1] http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rCTdTU9L12EC&pg=PA221...

maybe it should give them little reminder shocks periodically while the magnet is emplaced? If it's exclusively for disabling it in emergency situations, then a tingle every couple of minutes would be the least of the patient's worries.

I wonder if it's possible to do that safely without requiring additional electrodes (because shocking the heart itself is probably a bad idea, unless necessary)

Edit: Or maybe just a little piezo disc or something; "Oops, daddy's started bleeping again."

I'm amazed that only the apple magnets do this and not any other magnets at all.

> So a person who lays the iPad2 on their chest while napping, or holds one on their chest while reading, could trigger magnet mode.

I think the point the article is trying to make is that holding an iPad close to your chest is both more likely to happen, and less noticeable than holding a magnet to your chest.

I wonder if those quack 'magnetic wrist {pain reliever,travel/seasickness preventer} bracelet' things are strong enough to affect it?

That's because Apple magnets are washed in Unicorn tears. Everybody knows that.

Amazing how news media picked up this story.

Came here to say this. Defibrillators sensitive to magnets != apple killing children.

> "stunning the medical and tech communities"

Well, the tech community is certainly stunned, but not for the reasons you think.....

It seems odd that the designers of such a potentially life-critical device would choose a method with such potential for accidental triggering for such a function.

I guess it's a tradeoff between likelihood of accidental triggering vs not having the capability to disable it in a genuine emergency due to lack of equipment.

Then again, if your paramedics/hospital don't immediately have a (strong enough) magnet on hand, you're no better off than them not having the special disabling-device. I guess magnets are cheaper, and don't require batteries, but is that a sufficient reason to use such a signal?

Even something like requiring a varying magnetic field at some fixed frequency (and of a high enough power to not trigger on RF/spurious EM) would be much less likely to accidentally trigger, and the disable-device could be an electromagnet driven by an oscillator.

Any other ideas why this method might have been chosen?

Apparently the iPad manual states that as such. Not a discovery, though apparently no one reads the manuals. Not really news.... All magnets can be problematic.

"iPad has magnets along the left edge of the device and on the right side of the front glass, which may interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators, or other medical devices. The iPad Smart Cover and iPad Smart Case also contain magnets. Maintain at least 6 inches (approximately 15 cm) of separation between your pacemaker or defibrillator and iPad, the iPad Smart Cover, or the iPad Smart Case."

Reply on news.ycombinator.com