this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2024
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Mildly Interesting
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Older pacemakers could be adversely impacted if people who had them were anywhere near an average microwave oven in operation - we had those signs up around the office kitchenette less than 15 years ago.
Currently strong magnets can still mess with pacemakers. Fun fact, some modern phones have magnets in them that can do that - be careful about resting your phone on your chest if you have a pacemaker. I think the wireless charging unit is to blame.
That's a feature btw, not a bug. If you go to the hospital with a pacemaker malfunction or we're trying to do cardioversion in a way the pacemaker doesn't do itself the only way we can turn it off is with a big magnet. That's why most ED and cardiac units have one for an emergency.
I’ve heard about that. In a sense it’s sort of both since it can really mess someone up if they aren’t aware of the magnet. Someone told me awhile ago they can now do more than shut off the pacemaker and can even adjust the settings with specific magnets to reduce the need for invasive procedures. Not sure what the extent of that is but pretty neat if true!