iPods, Pacemakers, and Interference

A recent news report suggested that pacemaker patients who used portable music players sometimes encountered a problem with their pacemakers called interference. The problem wasn't with the music player itself, but rather with the earbuds. Earbuds stored close to the implanted pacemaker can interfere with the pacemaker.

The surprising aspect to this report was that the music player did not have to be playing or even turned on for interference to occur and that the interference did not come from the device but rather from the harmless-looking earbuds. Up till now, it was thought that devices turned off or to some kind of passive setting did not pose an interference risk.

What the study looks like is that if a person has a portable music player, such as an iPod (iPod is just one of the best known types but there are many grands) and if the earbuds used with the device are placed in close proximity to the the upper chest area where the pacemaker is implanted, the earbuds might interfere with the device.

This is not a far-fetched scenario. When a person with this kind of portable music player is not listening to it, it's not unusual to drape the earbuds over the neck (sort of like the way doctors "wear" a stethoscope). That can put the earbuds right over the implant site.

Apparently, interference does not occur when the earbuds are in the ears or when the earbuds are kept away from the implant site--such as in a purse or backpack or even hip pocket.

Interference occurs when signals in the air get picked up by the pacemaker. Pacemakers have very "big ears." They listen for electrical signals. In fact, that is how pacemakers monitor the heart--they track its electrical activity and respond to it. While this normally works pretty well, an occasional stray electrical signal can cause the pacemaker to "think" it is hearing something the heart is doing when, in reality, it is sensing electrical interference, something doctors have nicknamed "noise."

Most pacemaker patients are told to avoid the most common sources of interference--things like arc welding equipment, bumper cars, industrial magnets, and being very close to high-tension lines. However, stray signals can sometimes interfere with pacemaker performance. Stray signals can come from small electronic devices (like earbuds), metal detectors, dentists' drills and so on. While such interference is not common, it can occur.

In most situations, the interference does not last very long. The pacemaker may start pacing or acting inappropriately because it doesn't interpret the stray signals correctly, but if the source of interference is removed, the pacemaker typically resumes normal operation. If a pacemaker person starts to feel lightheaded, woozy, or just peculiar in situations where they may be potential interference (around heavy machinery, certain power tools, security checkpoints), just stepping out of range can stop the interference.

Pacemakers are sensitive, but not all that sensitive. A source of interference far from a pacemaker patient does not pose a risk. For instance, most pacemaker manufacturers advise pacemaker people not to "linger" under a metal detector, but pacemaker patients do not have to avoid going near them.

If interference persists over a long time, the pacemaker may do something called "reset" or "backup" or "safety pacing." (This function is more or less the same in all brands of pacemakers except that different manufacturers call it by different names.) When the pacemaker thinks that there is interference is going on and it lasts for a certain amount of time, the pacemaker will automatically revert to a special type of pacemaker behavior that doctors call "asynchronous pacing." Asynchronous pacing is not the most sophisticated pacing prescription, but it gets the job done--it assures regular consistent pacing support.

If a pacemaker patient is exposed to interference long enough to "reset" the pacemaker, he or she will need to go to the pacemaker doctor to get the pacemaker reprogrammed. This is a very short and painless step that involves the doctor turning off the reset function and pushing a button on a remote device called a programmer to resume the old settings.

Pacemaker patients who love their portable music players need to take a few simple precautions. Now if having and using a portable music player is part of your lifestyle that you really cannot live without, you should make an appointment to discuss with your pacemaker doctor how to do this as safely as possible. On the other hand, just keeping the earbuds from your music player away from the pacemaker ... even if the device is not playing or turned off ... you should not experience any "noise" or interference.

Heart Ailments Treatment Made Easier

Heart ailments have been on the rise in the recent years. Most of the hospital admissions are due to heart diseases. Most common among the heart ailments is blockage in coronary arteries, which supply blood to heart, commonly called as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).

Heart may also be affected by congenital heart defects that are present from birth in approximately 1% of new born babies; rheumatic heart disease, which affects the heart valves as they start leaking or become narrow, is on the decline as compared to past years.0.7 / 1000 children are affected by RHD. At present there are 1.4 million persons suffering from RHD in India.

Lot of advances is taking place in the management of heart ailments. A few years ago only treatment available for most of the heart ailments was either with medicines or surgery. Thanks to the newer development in the field of interventional cardiology, where most of the curative treatment is done through a very small cut (1mm) in groin or the wrist artery.

All these measures are being adopted to give maximum comfort to the patient with minimum risk. 26 years ago only treatment available for the blocked arteries was to surgically bypass the blockage.

But now many cases can be managed by a very simple procedure called Angioplasty. During Angioplasty a balloon is inflated in the blocked artery at the site of blockage and then a metal stent is fixed in the region to prevent vessel collapse.

Though this treatment is very simple and patient walks about after 12 hours & back to work after 48 hours, it carries risk of re-blockage in 15-20% of the cases, particularly in those suffering from Diabetes mellitus (Sugar problem).

However, with the availability of various medicated stents this problem has been overcome to a great extent though not totally abolished; re-blockage takes place in 4-7% of the cases, which is at par with the surgical results.

Furthermore due to availability of newer drugs to prevent the clotting of the blood there is further improvement in the long term results.

Besides coronary artery disease, interventional cardiological procedures now also find application in greater number of heart diseases like Rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease, Septal Defects and AMI.

These were earlier being treated with medication and surgery but can now days also be treated with Interventions.

This perfect harmony between technology skill and desire to serve humanity has created wonders and brought a revolution in the field of medicines.

Statins - Yes Or No?

Statins are the most effect cholesterol lowering drugs available on the market. They are able to effectively lower and reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood as well as dramatically reduce the number of cardiovascular related diseases and deaths.

How do they work?

Statins work by reducing the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood by stimulating the LDL receptors in the liver. While these drugs are generally safe with few side-effects, side-effects that can occur are skeletal muscle damage and increased liver enzymes. Also, once one begins taking statins to lower cholesterol, chances are they will be on the medication the rest of their life. For this reason, statins are often prescribed as a last resort.

Other cholesterol lowering techniques that have proven successful are diet and exercise. Studies show that maintaining a healthy weight helps regulate cholesterol levels. If you are currently overweight some weight loss tips are as follows: Cut out trans fats. Trans fats also are a contributing factor to high cholesterol. By simply cutting back on the foods with trans fats, the need for cholesterol lowering drugs is reduced.

Also people are able to lose weight with hoodia gordonii. This is a naturally growing plant in the African desert and has been used for thousands of years with no known side effects.

Quitting bad habits such as smoking and drinking can help quickly reduce the need for statins. By kicking these habits, less stress is put on the arteries and the liver is also better able to perform its function, and reduce the need for cholesterol lowering drugs.