Information Update
2007-21March 8, 2007
OTTAWA - Further to yesterday's posting on our Web site, Health Canada is today providing additional safety information to inform Canadians who rely on medical devices or systems with internal clocks that they may not work properly if they have not been updated by manufacturers to correspond with the new Daylight Savings Time.
Daylight Savings Time (DST) will now start three weeks earlier and end one week later than in previous years. This means that DST will begin on March 11, 2007 and end on November 4, 2007. Most medical equipment was made before the recent DST change, and may use the incorrect dates for the start and end of Daylight Savings Time.
Any medical equipment problems related to the DST change are most likely to occur on the following dates:
March 11 (New date for start of DST)
April 1 (Old date for start of DST)
October 28 (Old date for end of DST)
November 4 (New date for end of DST)
The effect of the time change is unclear; but most devices would not be affected. Examples of medical devices that could be affected by the DST change include (but are not limited to): Implanted pacemakers/defibrillators with sleep modes that can only be adjusted by physicians; holter monitors, used to continuously record heartbeat; and glucose monitors that store data on glucose levels. Though users of these devices may be inconvenienced by the need to reset equipment timers, there is no safety risk to users of these devices.
Those people who rely on or use medical devices with internal clocks should contact the source of their device (equipment supplier, doctor or device manufacturer) before March 11, 2007 for advice about their specific situation. Further, before using medical equipment after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 1, 2007 (the old scheduled date of DST), users should make sure the device displays the correct time. If the equipment displays the incorrect time, users should tell the manufacturer about the problem at their earliest convenience, and talk to their doctor. Finally, patients should check the time displayed on their equipment on October 28, 2007, and on November 4, 2007, to ensure that it is correct.
For more information, please visit the Daylight Savings Time Change Web site. Consumers requiring more information about this Information Update can contact Health Canada's public enquiries line at (613) 957-2991, or toll free at 1-866-225-0709.
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Media Enquiries:Carole SaindonHealth Canada(613) 957-1588
Public Enquiries:(613) 957-29911-866 225-0709
