Hospitals banning the use of mobile phones may be being overcautious.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York, found that cellphones
interfered with 41 per cent of cardiopulmonary devices, but this was clinically
significant in only 7.4 per cent of cases. The only potentially dangerous
incident was when a mobile phone was used very close to the rear of a
ventilator, which then shut down. Mobile phones seem to be safe if kept more
than 150 centimetres from equipment (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, vol 76, p11).
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