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FYI-Those with Programmable SHUNTS~~~~
ATTENTION TO THOSE WITH AN ADJUSTABLE SHUNT!! IMPORTANT iPad2 and MAGNETIC SHUNTS DO NOT MIX!
Dear Members: Today we received the official information from Medtronic Neurosurgery on the use of the Apple iPad 2 and persons with programmable shunts.
The email is from Jeffrey Henders, VP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Medtronic.
Below is a portion of the email.
"Dear Mr. Illions, On December 9, 2011 we received a question from you regarding the use of an Apple iPad 2 for individuals with an implanted Strata Valve. A sample iPad 2 was evaluated for magnetic strength. The left front edge of the iPad 2 was found to have a magnetic strength of 306 Gauss and the rear speaker measured 456 Gauss. The Strata family of valves is designed to be adjusted with a permanent magnet of at least 90 Gauss, directly against the valve. This indicates that the iPad 2 has the potential to affect the Strata Valve setting if the areas having the above measured fields are placed directly adjacent to the implant location of the Strata Valve. Inadvertent adjustments by external magnets are a known complication with adjustable valves. Therefore, the same precautions that are applied to all magnets should also be applied to the iPad 2"
Dear Members: Today we received the official information from Medtronic Neurosurgery on the use of the Apple iPad 2 and persons with programmable shunts.
The email is from Jeffrey Henders, VP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Medtronic.
Below is a portion of the email.
"Dear Mr. Illions, On December 9, 2011 we received a question from you regarding the use of an Apple iPad 2 for individuals with an implanted Strata Valve. A sample iPad 2 was evaluated for magnetic strength. The left front edge of the iPad 2 was found to have a magnetic strength of 306 Gauss and the rear speaker measured 456 Gauss. The Strata family of valves is designed to be adjusted with a permanent magnet of at least 90 Gauss, directly against the valve. This indicates that the iPad 2 has the potential to affect the Strata Valve setting if the areas having the above measured fields are placed directly adjacent to the implant location of the Strata Valve. Inadvertent adjustments by external magnets are a known complication with adjustable valves. Therefore, the same precautions that are applied to all magnets should also be applied to the iPad 2"
COMMUNITY LEADER
Thank u for the update on this...as I know many are concerned as to safety in using these products.
Hi,
I saw your posting and decided to contact Medtronic myself to see if I could get some clarification on how careful you would need to be with an iPad and a programmable shunt. I talked to Leanne Lintula a Senior Product Manager at Medtronic Neurosurgery and she was kind enough to send me an email overview of our conversation. Below is the message in its entirety (when she refers to the "information noted below" she is referring to when to I quoted this forum posting.
Hi Jonathan:
Per our conversation this morning, I am writing to confirm that we did discuss the magnetic strength of the IPad 2. As I mentioned, the information noted below was a preliminary notice we did send out to the field. Since that time, we have quantified the safety distance needed for the iPad 2. That is, as long as the iPad 2 is kept a minimum of 2" from the valve it will not interfere with the valve setting.
We are currently updating our patient information. This information is forthcoming and you will be able to download the file from the Medtronic website at www.medtronic.com.
As we discussed, it will be a couple of weeks before the final copy is ready, so please look for it then.
Sincerely,
Leanne Lintula
Senior Product Manager, Hydrocephalus
Medtronic Neurosurgery
125 Cremona Drive
Goleta, CA 93117 USA
I saw your posting and decided to contact Medtronic myself to see if I could get some clarification on how careful you would need to be with an iPad and a programmable shunt. I talked to Leanne Lintula a Senior Product Manager at Medtronic Neurosurgery and she was kind enough to send me an email overview of our conversation. Below is the message in its entirety (when she refers to the "information noted below" she is referring to when to I quoted this forum posting.
Hi Jonathan:
Per our conversation this morning, I am writing to confirm that we did discuss the magnetic strength of the IPad 2. As I mentioned, the information noted below was a preliminary notice we did send out to the field. Since that time, we have quantified the safety distance needed for the iPad 2. That is, as long as the iPad 2 is kept a minimum of 2" from the valve it will not interfere with the valve setting.
We are currently updating our patient information. This information is forthcoming and you will be able to download the file from the Medtronic website at www.medtronic.com.
As we discussed, it will be a couple of weeks before the final copy is ready, so please look for it then.
Sincerely,
Leanne Lintula
Senior Product Manager, Hydrocephalus
Medtronic Neurosurgery
125 Cremona Drive
Goleta, CA 93117 USA
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