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Research indicates the MP3 player headphones, not the player itself, poses a health risk to some owners

If you listen to an MP3 player and have a heart pacemaker, you could be at risk of complications, medical researchers warn.

But unlike previously thought, the MP3 player is not the culprit -- the headphones plugged into the MP3 player pose a risk.  Earlier in 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially concluded that MP3 players are safe to use regardless of their location.

Research presented during the American Heart Association conference indicates that some headphones commonly used by MP3 player owners can interfere with pacemakers or implanted defibrillators -- even if they're not being used and are disconnected.

Researchers led by Dr. William Maisel at the Medical Device Safety Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston tested eight different models of headphones and ear buds that were connected to Apple iPod MP3 players.  During the study with 60 patients, 30 percent of subjects with defibrillators and 15 percent of subjects with pacemakers suffered interference due to their headphones.

"For patients with pacemakers, exposure to the headphones can force the device to deliver signals to the heart, causing it to beat without regard to the patients' underlying heart rhythm," Dr. Maisel said in a press statement.  "Exposure of a defibrillator to the headphones can temporarily deactivate the defibrillator."

A strong magnetic substance inside some popular MP3 headphones mistakenly interrupt a pacemaker's beat or deactivate the defibrillator.  

If placed around one inch from a device, there was interference one-fourth of the time -- in 10 patients out of 33 who had defibrillators and four of 27 overall patients with pacemakers.  One pacemaker unexpectedly reset itself during the trials.

Sixty patients took part in the study.

Dr. Maisel said people shouldn't "overreact" to the research, but still advised patients with pacemakers or defibrillators to keep headphones at least 3 centimeters away from the implanted devices.  Furthermore, headphones should not be placed in a breast pocket or dangle over their chest.

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MP3 headphones?
By amanojaku on 11/10/2008 8:24:43 AM , Rating: 3
*Scratches head* I wasn't aware that some headphones only worked for MP3 players. Does this mean there are CD player-only headphones and they are safe? I'm pretty sure the study meant to say crappy headphones. Yeah, some people still use walkmen and discmen.




RE: MP3 headphones?
By Chernobyl68 on 11/10/2008 11:10:34 AM , Rating: 2
beat me to it...how about the headphones I use at LAN Games?


RE: MP3 headphones?
By amanojaku on 11/10/2008 11:29:15 AM , Rating: 3
They cause cancer, shrunken testicles, and a desire to be Paris Hilton's BFF. They don't affect pacemakers, though. :-)


RE: MP3 headphones?
By Farfignewton on 11/11/2008 12:45:42 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
They cause cancer, shrunken testicles, and a desire to be Paris Hilton's BFF. They don't affect pacemakers, though. :-)


If you get to choose, clearly cancer is the option to go with there. ;)


RE: MP3 headphones?
By mindless1 on 11/10/2008 3:25:06 PM , Rating: 2
Actually no, the crappy ones tend to have smaller drivers, weaker magnets, though I'm ignoring supposely higher-end earbuds which are more often used with MP3 players than any other source.


if pace makers are that freakin delicate
By Guttersnipe on 11/10/2008 4:41:38 AM , Rating: 2
why don't the patients wear some kind of body shield?
bit of two sided tape with a bit of metal sheeting over your heart?:P




RE: if pace makers are that freakin delicate
By Hypernova on 11/10/2008 5:39:34 AM , Rating: 2
Ditto, just how hard is it to put some decent EMI shielding into pace makers?


By sprockkets on 11/10/2008 12:53:30 PM , Rating: 2
Probably because shielding is only worth anything if it is grounded.


RE: if pace makers are that freakin delicate
By ThePooBurner on 11/10/2008 10:50:32 AM , Rating: 2
Or just upgrade to the Arch Reactor. Seemed to work well enough for Tony ;)


By Chernobyl68 on 11/10/2008 11:09:34 AM , Rating: 2
Arc.


Bad music.
By audiomaniaca on 11/10/2008 5:54:33 AM , Rating: 5
Most of music around today is so bad that even without a pace maker people can have a heart attack.




OMG Your gonna die!!
By HighWing on 11/10/2008 1:12:53 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
If placed around one inch from a device, there was interference one-fourth of the time


Ok aside from laying down and setting the headphones on your chest.... how possible is this to really happen under a persons normal daily routine? Even than it's not a big chance anything would happen. Granted if I had a pacemaker this would be nice info to know of a "possibility" of a problem, but is this really newsworthy?




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