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Safety
This test method is now part of a standard sponsored by the
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).
The final draft, a joint effort by FDA, medical device manufacturers,
and many other groups, was completed in late 2000. This standard
will allow manufacturers to ensure that cardiac pacemakers and
defibrillators are safe from wireless phone EMI.
FDA has tested hearing aids for interference from handheld wireless
phones and helped develop a voluntary standard sponsored by the
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). This standard
specifies test methods and performance requirements for hearing
aids and wireless phones so that no interference occurs when a
person uses a “compatible” phone and a “compatible” hearing aid at
the same time. This standard was approved by the IEEE in 2000.
FDA continues to monitor the use of wireless phones for possible
interactions with other medical devices. Should harmful interference
be found to occur, FDA will conduct testing to assess the interference
and work to resolve the problem.
For more information, please visit the FDA website at
http://www.fda.gov (under “c” in the subject index, select Cell Phones
> Research).
Emergency Calls
Never rely solely upon your wireless phone for essential
communications (e.g., medical emergencies), if it can be
avoided, since a wireless phone requires a complex combination of
radio signals, relay stations and landline networks for its operation.
Consequently, emergency calls may not always be possible
under all conditions on all wireless phone systems. Your wireless
phone, however, may sometimes be the only available means
of communication at the scene of an accident. When making an
emergency call, always give the recipient all necessary information as