the numerous anecdotal reports of catastrophic medical equipment failure in close proximity to electromagnetic field emitters ( such as mobile phones or other wireless devices ) have recently been supported by formal studies .
add to this growing literature database by reporting the effects of electromagnetic interference ( emi ) produced by newer generation mobile phone signals on medical devices commonly used in an intensive care unit ( icu ) .
based on a high ( 43% ) rate of emi - related incidents at a median distance of 3 cm , they reasonably conclude that mobile phone use in critical care units should be restricted to the usual 1 m distance from the critical care bedside .
these investigators used a worst case scenario in their study design , simulating electromagnetic ( em ) fields at the maximum signal strength generated by mobile phones and intentionally targeting poorly shielded locations on the tested medical devices .
the high rate of hazardous incidents that they found may not represent what would be expected from routine mobile phone use .
other studies reporting on the susceptibility of commercial medical devices to emi in real life ( as opposed to laboratory ) environments using reasonable distance restrictions have found fewer clinically relevant emi events [ 3 - 5 ] .
although van leishout 's data can be interpreted as supportive of the use of mobile phones 
94% of hazardous events occurred at a distance of 30 cm or less  the danger of relying on a 1 m restriction is highlighted .
the catastrophic failure of a ventilator at a distance of 3 m from a mobile phone signal raises serious concerns about industrial standards , as the authors note in their conclusions .
industrial standards for life - supporting medical devices ( international electrotechnical commission [ iec ] standard 60060 - 1 - 2 ) fall substantially short of achievable standards  for example , for military equipment ( mil - std-461 ) .
almost a decade ago , the institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) committee on man and radiation noted that technology existed to protect most medical devices from radiofrequency fields much more intense than the iec standards , and that shielding , grounding and filtering , were not costly when incorporated into the initial device design . despite that , and in the face of growing evidence of emi in the literature , there have been no substantial changes to emi susceptibility standards for medical devices in the last decade .
newer generation wireless devices are rapidly expanding into frequency spectrums not covered by current standards for medical devices , necessitating more frequent reevaluation of those standards .
hospitals rely on manufacturers ' stipulated adherence to emi standards , typically based on third - party susceptibility testing of a small number of sample devices .
electromagnetic susceptibility of an individual medical device may vary due to poor quality control during construction .
compliance with standards can not be guaranteed , which may explain why some devices fall below the food and drug administration ( fda ) standard when tested in hospital environments .
regardless of the potential risks , wireless technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in the critical care environment .
hospitals are routinely using wireless solutions for patient monitoring , data collection , and enhanced communication .
several companies are now offering wireless solutions for electronic - icu applications , using either their own proprietary networks , or ' piggybacking ' on existing hospital networks .
a new generation of transport monitors and external defibrillators offers wireless transmission to hospital telemetry systems .
current data suggest that wireless area networks ( 802.11 ) and bluetooth systems do not carry a risk of emi with medical devices
. however , the rapid development of new wireless telecommunication technologies makes much of the current literature obsolete . with each new generation of wireless technology
, information technologists and medical engineers must determine the impact on existing hospital network infrastructure and medical devices .
there are those that argue that the intangible benefits of improved communication using wireless devices far outweigh the small risk of a hazardous event from emi .
as wireless devices become less expensive and consequently more prevalent we are also seeing increasing use of data transmission ( email , web access ) in addition to voice communication , by staff and visitors .
increased awareness of the risks of emi , by staff , patients and visitors , is essential to ensure sensible use of wireless devices .
there are other aspects of electromagnetic interference that may need to be considered , such as bandwidth competition by medical devices employing the same local wireless networks , or between medical devices and personal wireless products . as restrictions on the use of wireless technology
are relaxed , increased vigilance and testing of new wireless devices and their transmission networks is essential , in our own hospital environments with our own equipment .
emi = electromagnetic interference ; em = electromagnetic ; fda = food and drug administration ; icu = intensive care unit ; iec = international electrotechnical commission ; ieee = institute of electrical and electronics engineers .
 wireless communication and data transmission are playing an increasing role in the critical care environment . 
 early anecdotal reports of electromagnetic interference ( emi ) with intensive care unit ( icu ) equipment resulted in many institutions banning these devices . 
 an increasing literature database has more clearly defined the risks of emi . 
 restrictions to the use of mobile devices are being lifted , and it has been suggested that the benefits of improved communication may outweigh the small risks . however , increased use of cellular phones and ever changing communication technologies require ongoing vigilance by healthcare device manufacturers , hospitals and device users , to prevent potentially hazardous events due to emi . 
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Competing interests