OTTAWA - Health Canada would like to remind the thousands of Canadians who rely on medical devices or systems with internal clocks to check these devices to ensure they continue to work properly during the switch to Daylight Saving Time.
Medical equipment manufactured before the change to the start and end of daylight saving time was permanently implemented in 2007, may not function properly if the equipment has not been updated by manufacturers to compensate for the new dates. Canadian Daylight Saving Time begins this year at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9 and reverts to standard time on November 2.
The time change in 2007 posed no problems for Canadians as most devices were not affected. However, examples of medical devices that could be affected by the 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.
Before using medical equipment after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2008, 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 November 2, 2008 to ensure that it is correct.
For more information, or 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 Inquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983
Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
