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hazard exists.
11. What about wireless
phone interference with
medical equipment?
Radio Frequency (RF) energy
from wireless phones can
interact with some electronic
devices. For this reason, the
FDA helped develop a detailed
test method to measure Electro
Magnetic Interference (EMI) of
implanted cardiac pacemakers
and defibrillators from wireless
telephones. 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 the 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.
The 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.
The FDA continues to monitor
the use of wireless phones for
possible interactions with other
medical devices. Should
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