MONDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Placement of MP3-player headphones within one inch of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) may cause electromagnetic inference, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions held Nov. 8 to 12 in New Orleans.
William H. Maisel, M.D., of Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues studied the effects of eight different models of MP3 player headphones on 60 pacemaker and ICD patients. They observed device interference in 14 patients (23 percent), asynchronous pacing in four pacemaker patients (15 percent), and inhibition of ICD detection in 10 patients (30 percent). But they observed no electromagnetic interference from headphones with even high magnetic strength that were placed more than 3 centimeters from the skin surface.
In two unrelated studies, Massachusetts and California researchers reported that there were no adverse heart-related effects on ICDs from other devices, including MP3 players, some cell phones, electric blankets, hand-held airport security metal detectors, and pills used to view internal organs.
"Patients should not focus on the brands we tested but instead should simply be instructed to keep their headphones at least 3 cm from their implantable devices," Maisel said in a statement. "For family members or friends of patients with implantable defibrillators, they should avoid wearing headphones and resting their head right on top of someone's device."
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