World's first 'wireless' pacemaker talks to your doctor daily, whether you like it or not (though you probably do)
[Via Switched]
pacemaker posts

Merlin.net, a medical monitoring system developed by St. Jude's Medical has been approved for use in Europe (after previous approval in the US). The system transmits medical information from an implanted pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), to a Merlin monitoring unit in the patient's home, which then transmits the information to the hospital or caretaker. Transmitting the data can occur at any time, regardless of whether the patient is even awake, and provides constant monitoring of the patient. If the system detects a possible problem or "event," it will alert the doctor by text message, email or fax, making possibly emergency situations more easily treatable. Merlin is expected to be marketed to health care provides starting in the spring -- which is currently happening -- so any day now.
Headphone makers love to brag about the fancy magnets they use to drive their buds, but it turns out that hanging tiny focused magnetic fields around you neck can have unintended consequences -- a new study says that headphones can interfere with heart devices like pacemakers and defibrillators when held within an inch of the device. The interference can be be so disruptive that a defibrillator can fail to fire live-saving electric charges, so we'd say that anyone counting on technology to keep their ticker ticking should be extra-careful with where they stow their 'phones -- and although researchers didn't find any interference from cell phones, it probably can't hurt to keep those out of your shirt pockets as well.
On a number of occasions, we've seen reports suggesting that pacemakers could be sent signals which could instruct them to do all sorts of unwanted things, including shut off completely. Thankfully, the University of Washington's Dr. Tamara Denning has heeded the warnings and created a possible solution. The so-called cloaking device would enable pacemakers to "resist any instructions that come from anyone other than the doctor," though it has yet to be put to the test. in the real world Now, making sure your doc has passed a sufficient amount of background checks is another matter entirely.
Defcon already delivered by exposing California's FasTrak toll system for the security hole that it is, but that's not nearly all that's emerging from the Las Vegas exploitation conference. For starters, a plethora of medical device security researchers have purportedly figured out a way to wirelessly control pacemakers, theoretically allowing those with the proper equipment to "induce the test mode, drain the device battery and turn off therapies." Of course, it's not (quite) as simple as just buzzing a remote and putting someone six feet under, but it's a threat worth paying attention to. In related news, a trio of MIT students who were scheduled to give a speech on how to hack CharlieCards to get free rides on Boston's T subway were stifled by a temporary restraining order that the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority snagged just before the expo. Don't lie, you're intrigued -- hit up the links below for all the nitty-gritty.
While it should hardly come as a surprise given the near constant stream of hacking fears we hear about these days, researchers are now warning about a possible vulnerability to an especially important bit of technology: medical devices that control the human heart. As The Wall Street Journal reports, the concerns are mostly centered around so-called "programmers," which are devices used to wirelessly communicate with the implanted defibrillator or pacemaker. Those devices are obviously only sold directly to physicians by a select group of companies but, as the researchers warn, it is at least conceivable that hackers could transmit the same radio signals using another device, allowing them to shut down the defibrillator or deliver a shock, or possibly even obtain a patient's medical information. The researchers are quick to point out, however, that this is "theoretical risk, not an actual risk," and they're not recommending that anyone consider deferring an implantation or removing a defibrillator. 
What's a 17 year old doing presenting a study before a gathering of heart specialists? Why, drawing the connection between iPods and heart implants, of course. According to student Jay Thaker, the findings of his study showed that of 100 installed pacemakers, electrical interference was detected 50% of the time when an iPod was held at a distance of 2-inches from the chest for 5-10 seconds. We'd really liked to have been there to see him try and pitch this study of his to the variety of seniors with heart problems who participated (they averaged 77 years of age), but don't get alarmed, we have a feeling your grandparents -- who've probably never even heard of that newfangled iPoddie doohickie -- won't find out first hand whether this is the real deal.









