Doctors fear wireless internet killers
An Iphone killed my patience
DOCTORS are getting concerned that the proposed use of unoccupied TV airwaves for high-speed Internet services could kill critically ill patients.
The American Society of Healthcare Engineering, an arm of the American Hospital Association, claims that signals which monitor critically ill patients could be lost because of interference.
The medical boffins say that using empty channels for unlicensed broadcsts could disrupt the monitoring of patients' heart rates, blood oxygen levels and other vital signs at hospitals.
If the machines go down, even for a few seconds, doctors lose information on the patient's physiological condition. Sometimes the patient will croak because the healthcare gets too basic.
Medical device maker GE Healthcare has asked the FCC to 'proceed carefully' when it permitted broadband through idle channels.
Since the 1980s, hospitals have used channels 33 to 36 to operate unlicensed wireless patient-monitoring devices. Channel 37 has been set aside for exclusive use of medical-monitoring equipment.
However some hospitals still use some of the other channels. µ
L'Inq
AP
Comments
Can't they just turn a dial?
We had a similar problem with our wireless phone, you just pressed a button and the problem was solved.I bet a lot of them just need a copy of the user manual. ;) :|
Wow!
We operate an ISP in South Texas and use several frequencies in the unlicensed spectrum. Works great for us and any other company that does Wi-Fi. We do not use the frequencies of any of this medical equipment.However, it is very surprising to me that equipment as important as this is being utilized in the unlicensed spectrum, which gives it about as much security and connection persistence as a cordless telephone. I would think that medical equipment should utilize dedicated licensed frequencies to handle critical monitoring applications.
Come on Doctors, quit barking up the wrong tree and start calling your equipment vendors and telling them you want equipment that is on a dedicated, licensed frequency, that does not have to be susceptible to outside interference from other unlicensed sources and you will be ahead of the game.