Dutch researchers say RFID tags used to track hospital equipment and employees could interfere with lifesaving equipment such as respirators, external pacemakers and dialysis machines, reports The Associated Press on Newsvine.com.

Health care spending on RFID is expected to grow from $90 million currently to $2 billion annually in the next 10 years, reports Reuters. It's used to track pharmaceuticals to prevent counterfeiting, ensure safety of blood products, and keep tabs on medical equipment and devices.

Researcher Erik Jan van Lieshout, a critical care physician at the Academic Medical Centre at the University of Amsterdam, wrote in his Journal of the American Medical Association article that on-site electromagnetic interference tests should be required in health care settings and international standards updated.