HOSPITALS have been hoping to use RFIDs 鈥� tiny radio antennas that transmit unique ID signals 鈥� to keep track of samples, packets of drugs and medical devices, thus preventing theft, counterfeiting and potentially fatal mix-ups. Other types of RFID could be used for monitoring purposes 鈥� for example, temperature-sensitive tags could ensure that stored blood does not get too warm.
But when a team from the Free University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, exposed 41 different medical devices to typical RFID signals, 34 experienced some kind of electromagnetic interference. In 22 cases, the situations were deemed 鈥渉azardous鈥�, with some actually turning off devices including drug pumps, ventilators and pacemakers (vol 299, p 2884).
