Wireless vital signs from a life-supporting medical device exposed to electromagnetic disturbance

Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol. 2014 Dec;23(6):341-9. doi: 10.3109/13645706.2014.931869. Epub 2014 Jun 30.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the level of agreement of simulated wired and Wi-Fi vital signs output from an intra-aortic balloon pump during exposure to electromagnetic interference from frequency overlapping ZigBee sensors.

Material and methods: A series of experiments with interference from single and multiple ZigBee sensors were benchmarked with wired and Wi-Fi output. Tests included single ZigBee sensor adjacent and co-channel interference, and multiple ZigBee interferences towards the Wi-Fi receiver and transmitter.

Results: Interference-free differences between wired and wireless aortic blood pressure and electrocardiogram were very small, verified by time domain and Bland - Altman plots. Bland - Altman plots comparing level of agreement in wired and wireless aortic blood pressure and ECG output during interference experiments showed a difference from 0.2 to 0.3 mmHg for blood pressure, and from 0.001 to 0.004 mV for electrocardiogram.

Conclusions: Level of agreement in wired and wireless (Wi-Fi) arterial blood pressure and electrocardiogram during single or multiple sensor interference was high. No clinically relevant degradation of Wi-Fi transmission of aortic blood pressure or ECG signals was observed.

Keywords: Advanced technology; assessment; electronics; equipment; simulator; technology for surgical and interventional radiology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Blood Pressure
  • Electrocardiography
  • Electromagnetic Fields*
  • Humans
  • Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping / instrumentation*
  • Monitoring, Physiologic
  • Wireless Technology / instrumentation*