Will not turning off my cell phone really kill somebody? What are the adverse effects of leaving a cell phone on in a hospital waiting room?
FWIW, I was in my mom’s hospital suite the other day chaperoning her around for facet block stuff, prior to the procedure and after, with my pda/cell on which for some reason made funky sounds over the in-room TV when trans/rec and the nurses heard it and laughed and said “that happens all the time” not “turn it off, that’s going to kill someone!”* Maybe if we were in an ICU would have been different, dunno.
*Run-on much?
That does make some sense. I can always tell when something’s coming through to my cell phone because my speakers go nuts for a few seconds first.
For what it’s worth, my father, who’s a pharmacist at a children’s hospital, who works mostly in NICU and is very, very tech savvy, has told me that there’s no interference whatsoever with any medical equipment…except for the nursing staff.
My best friend, a cardiac critical care nurse, concurs that the most harm from cellphones comes when she’s trying desparately to save someone’s life while their brother-in-law is in her way and won’t move because he’s yammering on his cell and not paying attention to what’s going on around him.
I concur as well. Your cell phone won’t kill someone, but it will annoy nurses and doctors if you’re talking on it. Then they can say it’s against the rules to talk on it, just as an excuse.
Now, what about cellphone use on airplanes?
They can cause interference on the ground, actually. (Here’s some interesting stuff on that). The phone would try pretty hard to get on whatever the nearest network on the ground was, which apparently could cause all manner of interference.
We’ve covered that before here, here,here,here,and a bunch more.
Also Mythbusters had an episode where they tested this. It was a somewhat ambiguous result, but they did manage to get intereference from at least one combination of instruments + cellphone.
Thanks guy, was just riffing.
I’m not sure if cell phones can cause it, but VHF radios can interfere with EKG tracings. See 60 cycle interference on page 14 of this PDF.
That said, I’ve never seen it actually happen and I typically use an EKG in the back of a moving vehicle, in close proximity to at least 3 cell phones and 6 radios.
Yes, I have seen cell phones disrupt monitor signals in the ICU, however, it was many years ago, when cell phones were first out there. They would cause the screen to go all wiggly.
I’m sure, both cell phones and monitors have improved since then.
Earlier this year I spent three weeks in ICU, followed by a month in HDU - cell phones were banned in both. When I transferred to a general ward cell phones were used freely by both patients and staff.
When I asked, I was told the only other area of the hospital they are banned is the cardiac unit. I was also told that patients used to be told no cellphones anywhere due to interference, but in reality it was to stop the whole ward constantly prattling away all the time, and making the nurses’ job harder.
With the massive variety of cell phone rings out there you just know someone is going to have one that matches an alarm signal on a monitor.
Also, the land line phones installed in hospital rooms make quite a profit for the hospital.
But surely that wouldn’t enter into this at all, would it?
I think it’s mostly a question of courtesy, respect and just plain good manners. I’m appalled by people who think they must use cell phones anytime and anywhere., w/ absolutely no consideration for others. Even if there’s only the slightest chance of electronic interference, why would you take that risk when a life might be at stake?
I volunteer in the G.I. lab at a local hospital, and we don’t allow cell phones past a certain point, because of the kind of equipment they use. I don’t know if it would really interfer, but considering that it’s the area that’s “Authorized Personel Only” it’s not that big a deal.
Long-time bio-medical equipment technician checking in here. Early and poorly designed cell phones can indeed cause problems with poorly designed medical equipment. I’ve seen literature proving it, and I’ve tested it myself. I saw a ventilator stop ventilating in the mere presence of a cell phone. It was a real problem, at least in the 90’s.
Newer equipment is not as susceptible to the problems, and newer cell phones are not as likely to cause problems. However, the fact that problems can exist in some situations means that cell-phones have to be banned from those areas with the greatest risk.
The rule of thumb with medical equipment is to consider whether you would take the risk with your loved ones. Would you use a cell phone if you knew it might cause harm to a loved one? Would you want to let someone else use one?
Take a look at this.
Perhaps we’ll see doctors allowed them, but not patients or visitors.
I worked in a hospital a decade ago, and doctors had them (along with nurses, patients, visitors, and other staff). There were places in the hospital where they were forbidden (cardiac cath lab, ICU) and there were places where, because of the structure in place to block radiation (I think) they did not work. Doctors are the least likely to even want them–because if the doc is carrying a cell phone you can track her down. (Actually I guess this applies to anybody who might not particularly want to be tracked down in a hospital.)
Like I mentioned, the hospital where I volunteer has certain areas where they are allowed, and certain areas where they are not.