Addressing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in the healthcare environment

A modern operating theatre or intensive care unit contains many pieces of electronic equipment, which all have to function safely and reliably in close proximity to each other. To ensure that this can happen, it is vital for those who design, manage or use electro-medical devices to consider electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). In a hospital, the electromagnetic environment can be quite harsh, containing, for example, sources of energy such as electrosurgery units, short-wave diathermy and microwave ablation equipment, in close proximity to safety-critical therapeutic devices and diagnostic sensors that need to detect very small signals, often at millivolt levels.