USB Port Glitches in Medical Devices Trigger Recalls
November 12, 2015
Many medical devices have USB ports. Plugging unauthorized devices into those ports can cause an array of problems, triggering, for instance, some physiologic monitors to reboot according to the ECRI Institute report. Last year, ArsTechnica reported that merely plugging a phone into an anesthesia device could potentially have fatal results for patients.
A recall noticed from the manufacturer, Spacelabs Healthcare, acknowledges that a software defect could cause its ARKON Anesthesia System (shown below) with Version 2.0 Software "to stop working and require manual ventilation of patients" and that the system could stop working if a cell phone or other unwarranted USB device was plugged into one of the unit's four USB ports for charging.
Spacelabs Healthcare received a single report related to the software defect. The FDA says there has been no injuries or deaths associated with the software malfunction, as we previously reported.
USB glitches like these can cause patients not to receive prescribed therapy, can alter device settings or performance, or can cause patient monitors to stop working or fail to emit an alarm. Furthermore, unwarranted access to medical devices' USB ports can cause security breaches, potentially give unwarranted access to sensitive patient data.
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