How listening to an iPod could stop your pacemaker working

Ipods can cause pacemakers to malfunction by making them go too fast, too slow or even stop altogether, according to a study.

Researchers found that iPods could make pacemakers malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart rate.

As a result, the pacemaker was unable to effectively monitor how fast the heart was beating, making it unable to regulate its speed.

The study may concern the increasing number of older people downloading music from the Internet.

Frank Sinatra tracks were used in iPod tests on 100 pacemaker patients, whose mean age was 77, at the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Institute at Michigan State University.

Electrical interference was detected half of the time an iPod was held two inches from the chest for five to ten seconds.

The interference caused the device to misread the heart's pacing and in one case it caused the pacemaker to stop altogether.

Like other electronic devices, an iPod can create an electromagnetic field which interferes with pacemakers' functioning, researchers said.

There was a risk that iPod interference could lead doctors to misdiagnose heart problems, they added.

Dr Krit Jongnarangsin, assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at Michigan University, said: "This needs to be studied more."

June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said pacemakers have metal cases to shield them from outside interference.

She added: "On rare occasions, some electrical gadgets can potentially interfere with pacemakers, so it is sensible to keep these devices directly away from pacemakers.

"If you have a pacemaker and are sitting next to someone with an MP3 player it is extremely unlikely that it will interfere with your pacemaker."