Yes, the
lectrik runs down the wire ... but where does it run
to if there's no patient at the end of it?
Surely in this case the actual "medical device" is used in ambulatory mode to collect data, and then the thing is brought to the PC (that is, without the patient tagging along) for the data to be downloaded. Of course, I may very well have misunderstood the whole thing. But I can't really see why the PC needs to be in the operating theatre, and I would always argue that the
environment that the kit is used in is, in fact, the prime consideration.
As we all know, there are lots of PC's around in what could be regarded as "patient areas" these days (outpatients clinics being an obvious example that springs to mind), but whether they are "patient connected" is debatable in most cases. What standards (of electrical safety) are these PC's built to (or are they exactly the same as those for sale in PC World)? And ... what do the equipment suppliers (and their literature) say about it all (if anything), I wonder?
Anyway ... what's your answer to Sav's original question, then, Brian?
