Iphone 12 magnets could interact with medical electronic devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators: report from US cardiologists
Cardiac patients who are pacemaker or defibrillator wearers should think twice before buying a new iPhone 12. Apple’s next-generation smartphones are equipped with powerful magnets that could interact with patients’ electronic medical devices.
Apple itself explained the dangers of using an iPhone 12 for cardiology patients with pacemakers and defibrillators in a statement suggesting they keep the phone away from medical devices. A team of cardiologists led by Dr. Gurjit Singh of the Henry Ford Heart and Vascular Institute now has delved deeper into the issue, confirming in a new study what serious risks a cardiac patient wearing pacemakers and using an iPhone 12 is exposed to. Here’s what you need to know and how to protect yourself.
Magnets and pacemakers: an already known problem
Medical electronic devices such as pacemakers are implanted directly into the patient’s body, and even a small modification would require surgery. For this reason, they are designed to respond to electromagnetic commands, so that it is possible to manage them from the outside without having to operate and avoiding the risks involved.
Pacemakers and defibrillators are therefore sensitive to electromagnetic waves, which means that any device that emits them could affect their proper functioning. Until now, smartphones were considered to have little interaction and little risk to patients. The discourse changes with the new phones with wireless charging, which are equipped with more powerful magnets and that could create health problems.
IPhone 12, why magnets are risky for pacemakers
The new iPhone 12 models from Apple are equipped with MagSafe technology for wireless charging and this implies that they have been equipped with magnets more powerful than the average supplied to other smartphones. For this reason, Apple issued a warning on its official blog, reminding that the new generation of MagSafe charging could affect electronic objects and devices, such as precisely medical ones. The Cupertino-based company reassured users that it is enough to keep the new iPhones at least 15 centimeters away from where the medical electrical device is placed, or at least 30 centimeters away if you are using its wireless charging.
iPhone 12 and pacemakers: cardiologists’ confirmation
The note issued by Apple led to research by cardiologists at the Henry Ford Heart and Vascular Institute led by cardiologist Singh, who delved with his team into the effects of iPhone 12 on heart patients with electronic medical devices.
During the experiments, the cardiologists found that just passing an iPhone 12 across the chest deactivated the defibrillator. In the case of a pacemaker, however, Apple’s phone is capable of causing the synchronization to be lost, so as to expose the patient to dangerous arrhythmias. For this reason, cardiologists are warning heart patients about the risks of buying or using an iPhone 12.