Radiated and Conducted EMI by RF Fields at Hospital Environment

Nowadays, hospital environments are among the most complex environments to establish electromagnetic compatibility. The newest health technologies associated with medical electrical equipment and their possible electromagnetic interference are being extensively investigated. However, the electricity supply system infrastructure remains present in hospital environments and might be responsible for the conducted electromagnetic interference through coupling with radio frequency fields, e.g. broadcasting station. Therefore, aiming to understand the electromagnetic environment, this paper presents the methodology used and the electromagnetic interference measurements in one hospital environment in São Paulo, Brazil. The results show that although all equipment in surgery room has been tested for electromagnetic compatibility, the risk still exists. Highlighting how important the comprehension and analysis of the electromagnetic environment is as a first step towards implementing specific solutions to mitigate the medium and high risk cases.

I. Introduction

SINCE the mid-1990s the risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to the increasing number of medical electrical equipment (MEE) in the professional healthcare facility environment has been continuously reported [1]. Despite manufacturers' efforts to enhance the MEE conformity, new challenges are introduced to the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) based on the newest health technologies [2], [3]. The trend is to define the MEE regulations directly at manufacturers to ensure conformity and EMC. On the other hand, the risk management processes [4] in professional healthcare facility environments ensure patient safety when using the MEE.