Charging a smartphone with a hospital's anesthesia machine may stop the function and cause the patient to die

BySpacelabs Healthcare

Used in medical institutionsAnesthesia machineIn addition to the main body of the anesthesia machine, breathing circuit, ventilator, monitor, etc. are set as a set, vulnerability was found in software of this anesthesia machine. The monitor of the anesthesia machine that became a problem has a tablet-like shape and a USB port is installed, but if you connect a device such as a smartphone to the anesthesia machine with the USB cable, the situation that the patient's life is threatened I know that it will happen.

Medical Device Recalls> Spacelabs Healthcare Ltd., ARKON Anesthesia Delivery System with Version 2.0 Software - Software Defect May Cause System to Stop Working
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/ListofRecalls/ucm393536.htm


Bug can cause deadly failures when anesthesia device is connected to cell phones | Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/bug-can-cause-deadly-failures-when-anesthesia-device-is-connected-to-cell-phones/


Defect foundARKONAnesthesia machine is used not only for anesthesia but also oxygen, nitrous oxide (nitrous oxide) etc. to patients under surgery. Manufacturers in the UKSpacelabs HealthcareWas recalling in March 2014 as "I found a bug that can cause serious damage to patients and in some cases even death in software version 2.0 in the device". Received the recall of the United StatesAmerican Food and Drug Administration(FDA) warned each medical institution, but according to the warning, there is a fear that the anesthesia machine may be stopped by a bug, and furthermore if you charge the USB device using the USB port about the anesthesia machine, It is said to stop. It is a serious flaw that it may cause hypoxemia and death, but fortunately there are no casualties reported to date.

ARKON Anesthesia machine can be confirmed from the following movie.

ARKON anesthesia delivery and ventilation I Spacelabs Healthcare - YouTube


This is anesthesia machine.


Operation is performed from a touch panel tablet.


The top of the anesthetic machine is like this.


And this is the USB port in question.


It has not been clarified why such a medical device has a USB port and whether it is necessary to connect a smartphone to an anesthesia machine,Ars TechnicaAsked "Why did not you notice the bug at the testing stage?" In addition, Spacelabs Healthcare was recalling in October 2013 that the fixation of hardware was loose.

Anaesthesia machines have already been collected in the US, but even if a hospital equipment has a USB port it should not be used to charge a smartphone, so let's not use it arbitrarily.