Pacemakers & Wireless Items

I just read a warning in my new laptop computer instruction book that states:   "Turn WiFi, Bluetooth and Wireless WAN functionalities off when near a person who may have a cardiac pacemaker implant or other medical electric device.  Radio waves may affect pacemaker or medical device operation, possibly resulting in serious injury."

My aunt wished to use my laptop while on vacation...and use the wireless feature....but she has a pacemaker.  She said she never heard of such a thing.  Is this something she should be very concerned about?

Thank you.

[Barbarella]

I heard on FOX news yesterday that IPODS can interfere with pacemakers.

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271472,00.html

[BABlocker]

I have a pacemaker and use both wireless cards for my laptop and IPOD. It's a shame that these articles cause such panic and worry in the general population. It's pretty simple for me...if I feel poorly around a point of possible electromagnetic interference, I move away from it.

My pacemaker has not been affected negatively in any way from most household items.

[anacyde]

CHICAGO (Reuters) - iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart, according to a study presented by a 17-year-old high school student to a meeting of heart specialists on Thursday.

The study tested the effect of the portable music devices on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just 2 inches from the patient's chest for 5 to 10 seconds.

The study did not examine any portable music devices other than iPods, which are made by Apple Inc.

In some cases, the iPods caused interference when held 18 inches from the chest. Interfering with the telemetry equipment caused the device to misread the heart's pacing and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.

The study was held at the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Institute at Michigan State University. The results were presented at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver.

The rest of this article is available on Reuters.

[Christy H]

I have a pacemaker and when I heard the news article I immeadiately called my cardio. He told me that the report failed to use the complete info.The electrical devices cause problems with people that have pacemaker/defibulators, NOT simply pacemakers. Even then he told me that you need to be pretty much rubbing the device over the incision for anything to to happen to the Pacemaker/defibulator. Finally, My cardio said that most of those problems occur when the pacemaker/defibulator is not properly serviced.
Have a happy mother's day to all!
Christy:)

[Barbarella]

FOXnews copied the exact article from Reuters as "anacyde" posted.

[Barbarella]

You still can see signs by microwave ovens in some Hospital Cafeterias for people with pacemakers not to use/or stand in front of the microwave ovens when they are in use.

[Tempe1950]

Thank you everyone for your comments.  They have been very helpful.  I appreciate the information.