iPhone, Apple Watch can be dangerous for heart patients

## **Apple recommends placing iPhone and other products such as AirPods, Watch, iPad… at least 15 cm away from the patient so as not to interfere with the pacemaker, defibrillator.** In January, Apple posted a warning for users of pacemakers or using any implanted medical device to stay away from iPhone 13, iPhone 14 at least 6 inches (15 cm). On its website, the technology company said that the magnets and electromagnetic fields in the phone will affect the function of health devices, even lead to death. Apple’s warning not only mentions iPhone 13, 14 but also other product lines such as AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac computers, Beats headphones … The technology giant recommends users not to leave devices This device is close to the chest of transplant patients. “Under certain conditions, the magnet and electromagnetic fields will interact with medical devices. For example, a pacemaker or defibrillator may contain several sensors that respond to magnets and electromagnetic waves at close range,” Apple wrote in the announcement. To limit any interactions with medical devices, users should place Apple products at a safe distance. According to *DailyMail*, not only Apple products but also any electronic device have the risk of affecting implanted medical devices in the human body. This danger warning was first issued when the iPhone 12 was released in 2020. The American Heart Association also issued a notice advising users to be careful with the magnets in these devices in 2021. that magnets will interfere with cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs). However, we were surprised by the sensitivity of the magnets used in the iPhone 12,” said Dr. Michelle Wu, Brown University. According to experts, magnets can deflect the pace of the pacemaker or make the defibrillator unable to transmit electricity, saving the patient’s life. Therefore, the American Heart Association study in 2021 has warned people to be careful with electronic devices that contain magnets because they can affect the operation of implanted devices in the body. In March, a study from the University of Utah showed that people who use health watches such as FitBit, Apple Watch … interfere with implanted devices. These products affect the normal operation of cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs). In particular, pacemakers are used for patients with heart failure when the heart does not pump blood as it should, causing a slow heart rate. When using a pacemaker, patients with a slow heart rate will be given an electrical pulse generator, which helps the heart contract according to the frequency. Scientists from the University of Utah tried placing smart devices near pacemakers to see the response between the two devices. Normally, health devices such as electronic scales and smartwatches often use bioimpedance determination techniques, which transmit a tiny, seemingly imperceptible electric current into the human body. This micro-current will run throughout the body, transmitting information to the sensor to measure indicators such as muscle percentage, fat percentage, stress intensity, breathing rate, etc. Scientists will measure this power and compared with the standard for electromagnetic emissions of smart devices (EMC) to determine if harmful to the body or not. The results showed that the measured voltage exceeded the EMC allowable level, meaning that these devices could cause dangerous cardiogenic shocks. In particular, smartwatches are more dangerous than electronic scales. In addition, with pacemakers, even the microscopic electrical currents of smart devices also adversely affect its determination of how fast or slow the heart rate is.