Radiated radiofrequency immunity testing of automated external defibrillators - modifications of applicable standards are needed
2011
Testing the RF Immunity of Automated External Defibrillators
Sample size: 7
publication
15 minutes
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Ken Umberger, Howard Bassen
Primary Institution: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Hypothesis
How susceptible are automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to radiated radiofrequency interference?
Conclusion
AEDs can experience dangerous false-negative failures due to radiated RF interference, particularly below 80 MHz.
Supporting Evidence
- Five out of seven AEDs tested showed susceptibility to RF interference.
- Failures occurred at field strengths as low as 3 V/m.
- Interference primarily affected AEDs at frequencies below 80 MHz.
Takeaway
This study found that some AEDs can fail to deliver shocks when they should because of interference from radio waves, which can be very dangerous.
Methodology
We tested seven AEDs for RF susceptibility in a controlled environment using a patient simulator and various RF frequencies.
Limitations
The study was limited to seven AED models and did not include testing with all possible interference conditions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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