Adverse Consequence of Ears plugged to iPod, MP3 player and Mobile ear phones

One recent articles (Heffernan et. al., 2007) in NEJM and a duplicated reporting of the same case in AJNR; further discussions on an incidence of lightening strike with iPod on neck has driven us to take some caution with these devices. Although the subsequent discussions has shed some different perspectives, but it is nonetheless true that there is an effect of such devices being dangerous to the health in general, ledaing to either accidental cases or to cases realted to the long term effects.



Although the desire to own and use such a device is a recent trend and style; one should be careful; at least after these reports. The follwing image showing the Burns along the Distribution of the iPod Wires, with Relative Sparing of the Ear is scary (Taken from NEJM from the link : http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/357/14/1447.pdf





References :


1. Heffernan EJ, Munk PL, Louis LJ. Thunderstorms and iPods — not a good idea. N Engl J Med 2007;357:198-9.



2. Andrews, Chris, Cooper, Mary Ann, Mick, Paul T., Lee, Patricia K., Longridge, Neil, Heffernan, Eric J., Munk, Peter L., Louis, Luck J.More on Thunderstorms and iPodsN Engl J Med 2007 357: 1447-1448



3. Offiah, C., Heran, M., Graeb, D.Lightning Strike: A Rare Cause of Bilateral Ossicular DisruptionAJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2007 28: 974-975