PMID- 9604711

OWN – NLM

STAT- MEDLINE

DCOM- 19980729

LR 20001218

IS 0739-5175 (Print)

IS 0739-5175 (Linking)

VI 17

IP 3

DP 1998 May-Jun

TI Radiofrequency interference with medical devices. A technical information

statement.

PG 111-4

AB The past few years have seen increased reports that medical devices, such as

pacemakers, apnea monitors, electrically powered wheelchairs, etc., have failed

to operate correctly because of interference from various emitters of

radiofrequency energy. This condition is called radiofrequency interference

(RFI). The consequences of these failures range from inconvenience to serious

injuries and death. Reasons for this problem are twofold: 1) increasing numbers

of electronically controlled medical devices with inadequate electronic

protection against RFI, and 2) a significant increase in the number of RF sources

in the environment. Medical devices are widely used outside the hospital and may

be attached to, or implanted in, patients. Portable wireless communications

equipment, including cellular phones, handheld transceivers, and vehicle-mounted

transceivers, comprise one of the largest sources of RFI. Some medical devices

are especially sensitive to the type of digital modulation that some of the

wireless communications devices utilize. The prevailing international standard

for the RF immunity of medical devices is the 1993 revision of the International

Electro-technical Commission (IEC) Standard IEC 60601-1-2. This standard sets a

minimum immunity level of 3 volts per meter (V/m) in the 26-1000 MHz frequency

range. For non-life supporting devices, testing is required only at the specific

frequencies of 27.12, 40.68, and 915 MHz. Technology exists to protect, or

“harden,” most medical devices from RF fields that are much more intense than the

3 V/m level specified in present RFI standards. Most of these techniques,

including shielding, grounding, and filtering, are not costly if they are

incorporated into the initial design of the electronics system. COMAR recommends

that the various parties involved in the manufacture and use of RFI-prone medical

devices take steps to avoid serious RFI problems that may lead to safety hazards.

Medical device manufacturers should design and test their products to ensure

conformance with current RFI standards and educate the users of their devices

about the possible symptoms of potential RFI. If there exists the possibility of

RFI problems to medical devices, steps should be taken to ensure that all sources

of RF energy be kept at a sufficient distance.

LA – eng

PT – Journal Article

PL – United States

TA – IEEE Eng Med Biol Mag

JT – IEEE engineering in medicine and biology magazine : the quarterly magazine of the

Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society

JID – 8305985

SB – IM

MH – Equipment Design

MH – *Equipment Failure

MH – Equipment and Supplies/*standards

MH – Hearing Aids

MH – Pacemaker, Artificial

MH – Radio Waves/*adverse effects

MH – Telecommunications

MH – Telephone

EDAT- 1998/05/30 00:00

MHDA- 1998/05/30 00:01

CRDT- 1998/05/30 00:00

PHST- 1998/05/30 00:00 [pubmed]

PHST- 1998/05/30 00:01 [medline]

PHST- 1998/05/30 00:00 [entrez]

PST – ppublish

SO – IEEE Eng Med Biol Mag. 1998 May-Jun;17(3):111-4.