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June 27th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda TUESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) — Magnets embedded in the
Apple iPad 2 can interfere with the settings of magnetically programmable
shunt valves, which are critical devices to drain excess fluid from the
brains of those with hydrocephalus and other conditions, a new study
suggests.
Researchers from the University of Michigan decided to investigate the
phenomenon after a 4-month-old patient with hydrocephalus was found to
have a shunt malfunction three weeks after getting one implanted. The
baby’s mother had fed the child and used the iPad simultaneously,
inadvertently placing the baby’s head close to the tablet computer.
“Most times, technology has helped medical care significantly. This is
one case . . . where we have to be concerned about these things,” said Dr.
Salvatore Insinga, a neurosurgeon at the Cushing Neuroscience Institute in
Manhasset, N.Y., who was not involved in the study. “We do know
programmable shunts are susceptible to magnetic field fluctuations —
MRIs, for instance, can change the settings of the shunts. [But] I don’t
think we know all of the devices that have a magnetic influence on these
things.”
The study is published online June 26 in advance of the August print
issue of Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
Hydrocephaly, brain swelling caused by the build-up of cerebrospinal
fluid, can occur in children and adults due to a variety of medical
conditions. Medical-grade magnets are used to change the settings on
programmable shunt valves that allow the passage of extra fluid to other
parts of the body.
Study author Dr. Cormac Maher, a pediatric neurosurgeon at the
University of Michigan, and his colleagues tested the iPad 2 with and
without an Apple Smart Cover, which contains additional magnets and is the
most frequently used cover for the tablet.
Exposing 10 programmable shunt valves to the iPad/cover for 10 seconds
at five different distances, Maher found that the settings changed in 58
percent of the valves at distances between 0 and 1 cm (about 0.4 inches);
the settings changed in 5 percent of valves when the exposure distances
lengthened to between 1 and 2.5 cm (up to 1 inch). After exposure at
distances between 2.5 and 5 cm (1 to 2 inches), the settings changed in
just 1 percent of shunt valves; no changes were observed at higher
distances.
“Once we know a valve is dialed to an incorrect setting, it’s easy to
set back,” Maher said, noting that his infant patient suffered no lasting
effects. “The impact could potentially be serious if [the changed setting]
is not recognized — there could be complications from overdraining or
underdraining.”
Repeated calls to Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., for comment
on the findings were not returned.
Maher and other experts cautioned that those with programmable shunt
valves, as well as their parents and/or caregivers, should be aware that
an iPad placed within a couple of inches of patients’ heads could produce
such an effect.
“If a child uses an iPad, that’s OK; they just shouldn’t hold it near
their head or sleep with it,” Maher advised. “Routine use should be OK,
people just need to be smart about it.”
Dr. Jonathan Zhang, a neurosurgeon at Methodist Neurological Institute
in Houston, recommended that more research be done to confirm a
cause-and-effect between the iPad and programmable shunt valves.
“This is certainly a very intriguing and interesting finding,” Zhang
said. “As we use more and more technology, the world is changing and we
certainly need to incorporate new findings into clinical practice. This is
a cautionary tale.”
More information
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on
hydrocephalus.
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