Apple publishes list of products that pose risk to pacemakers

Apple has put together a list of products it says should be kept a “safe distance” away from medical devices like implanted defibrillators and pacemakers. The lists includes Apple Watch, MacBook Pro and iPhone 12 models.

Many consumer-electronic devices contain components such as magnets which can interfere with medical devices.

Apple said “Under certain conditions, magnets and electromagnetic fields might interfere with medical devices.” It noted for example “implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact.”

They said the listed products should be kept over 15cm (6in) away from medical devices, twice that distance if they are wirelessly charging.

Lead investigator Dr Michael Wu said that they were surprised by the strength of the magnets in the iPhone 12, adding “In general, a magnet can change a pacemaker’s timing or deactivate a defibrillator’s life-saving functions, and this research indicates the urgency for everyone to be aware that electronic devices with magnets can interfere with cardiac implantable electronic devices.”

The British Heart Foundation’s senior cardiac nurse Jo Whitmore, said that patients should not worry if they kept devices at a safe distance, adding “It’s perfectly OK to use a smartphone when you have a pacemaker, and they’re designed to return to normal settings once the magnet is moved away”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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