Defibrillation-proof type B applied part (figure with side marks)
The standard’s wording, as the sources below reproduce it:
“To identify a defibrillation-proof type B applied part complying with IEC 60601-1.”
IEC 60417-5841 · listed in IEC 60601-1, Table D.1
What it means for you
An applied part is the part of the equipment that touches the patient — an electrode, a sensor, a probe. The letter is its protection class against electric shock under IEC 60601-1. Defibrillation-proof means the part is designed to stay connected and keep working after a defibrillator shock is given to the patient, as IEC 60601-1 tests it.
Whether a device is right for you is a question for your pharmacist, nurse or doctor.
- What it looks like
- The type B figure with a short vertical bar and a stub line on each side, like two paddle marks.
- Where you see it
- On medical electrical equipment and its accessories — on the cable, the sensor, the connector socket or the rating plate — not on the sterile box. IEC 60601-1 Table D.1 lists it.
- Other names
- defib-proof B; figure with paddles
What it does not tell you
It does not mean the equipment delivers a shock, and it does not mean staff can touch the patient during a shock.
Often confused with
To identify a type B applied part complying with IEC 60601-1.
More symbols in “A person or a heart”
Sources
IEC 60417 and IEC 60601-1 are paid standards, so the wording above is quoted as 2 publishers’ public documents reproduce it; our drawing is not the IEC artwork. Each was fetched and read on the date shown:
- Hillrom: Symbols Glossary (80022945 Ver. J) — Lists “Defibrillation-proof type B applied part — To identify a defibrillation-proof type B applied part complying with IEC 60601-1”, IEC 60417-5841. Checked 2026-09-28.
- Ethicon: Symbols glossary (100584677 Rev.8) — Shows the figure with side marks for “Defibrillation-proof type B applied part”, IEC 60417 reference 5841. Checked 2026-09-28.
Plain-language parts are in our own words; quotations are the sources’ wording.