EMC Beteen Wireless LAN and Medical Devices in
Shimane Universit Hospital
Electromagnetic noise or signals fom access points (AP)
installed in a nearby building can affect the wireless
communications of a hospital.
In hospitals in which inforation is computerized, a
communication blackout would result in the inability to access
patient information. Inability to access data could be a serious
danger to the lives of the patients.
It has been shown in Japanese studies that little
electromagnetic interference is generated by a wireless LAN
that affects medical devices. This is shown by the following.
The maximum output of wireless LAN technologies is about
150 m W by Japanese law. If the Japanese guidelines are
followed, no interference with medical devices will occur, as
shown by the results of irradiation experiments by the
Ministry of Interal Affairs and Communications [S] and by
our experiment [9].
Some medical devices, such as microwave ovens,
microwave therapy equipment, and heaters, emit or leak an
electromagnetic feld [10]. Because they are managed by staff
members, the interference fom these devices can be
minimized by carefl location or by shielding.