Dedicated spectrum for wireless medical devices means good things for patients, patch makers

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission approved a special spectrum for use with Wireless Medical Devices!

With this ruling 40mHz of the spectrum is reserved for wireless medical devices — 2360 to 2400 MHz.

This news is far more significant than it seems at face value! Now we can wear these wireless devices on our body either as devices or as patches even! This will mean a much higher quality of life, especially patients that are in hospitals and need constant monitoring.

Now you may find them sipping coffee in the hospital’s cafeteria than in a bed with lots of wires attached, not being able to move freely. They may wear a patch that monitors vitals that need to be monitored constantly, but now wireless receivers may receive these readings constantly and recording them on the hospitals’ computers.

For a while there have been some companies like Gentag that have been making medical device patches that use Near Field Communications (NFC) that seem to use a different frequency — 13 MHz or so.

Here are some interesting existing patches —  Here’s an ID patch that identifies the person in a hospital or another setting!

Here’s a fever monitoring patch, and a post orthopedic surgery patch that measures pressure after the surgery around the surgery area.

Here’s a wireless Glucose Monitoring patch that Gentag is developing for the US Defense Department.

I am sure that companies like Gentag are likely to use the new spectrum allocation if they are not already.

There will be a whole new slew of companies using this spectrum to do the communication between wireless medical devices and smart phones, tablets and tethered computers like desktops, laptops and servers.

As with anything wireless, there are huge concerns about security of medical data transmission between the medical device and a smart phone, between the smart phone and the internet.

Here are some recent efforts at raising this issue and the issue of meddling with medical device readings and even altering medication in lethal ways by hacking the device — Feds pressed to protect wireless medical devices from hackers.

I am sure, of course, with market adoption, these issues will be addressed well.

To be happy in this world, first you need a cell phone and then you need an airplane. Then you’re truly wireless. — Ted Turner.

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