High school freshman Gianna Chien didn’t even take first place for her science fair project. But earlier this month, she spoke to about 8,000 doctors on the discovery that the magnets surrounding the iPad2 can interfere with implanted cardiac rhythm devices.
“iPad2s use magnets to help secure the cover to the tablet. Since people hold tablets so close to their chest, I wanted to see if these magnets could affect cardiac device performance,” said Chien in a
press release from the Heart Rhythm Society. The high school freshman from Stockton, Calif., spoke
during the society’s 34th annual scientific sessions in Denver.
Chien’s father, Walter Chien, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist, helped coordinate patient testing with his daughter.
Chien’s study included 26 volunteers with defibrillators. In 30 percent of patients, the tablet triggered a “magnet mode” when it was put on the patients’ chests – turning off the cardiac device. The iPad2 magnets did not interfere with four pacemakers or a loop-recorder, which were also tested.
According to an article on
Bloomberg.com, Apple refused to comment on the high school science fair project. But a spokeswoman did refer to the iPad2’s product guide which suggests that patients with pacemakers keep the device at least six inches away.