Antivirus Scan Triggered Device Failure: Softpedia

Softpedia reports online that the crash of a physician’s computer used to display data from a Merge Hemo medical device during a cardiac catheterization procedure was determined to be caused by the computer’s antivirus software initiating a scan during the procedure. The report says that the adverse event report filed by the manufacturer with FDA said that the patient was sedated and the doctors had five minutes available to wait for the computer to reboot and then restart the Merge Hemo application, which displays data from the device connected to the catheters.

“Merge says the antivirus froze access to crucial data acquired during the heart catheterization,” Softpedia reports. “Unable to access real-time data, the app crashed spectacularly.” The company says its instructions with the device advise companies to whitelist Merge Hemo folders to prevent crashes from happening.