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Shock-Treatment Tool Becomes Third Device Type Banned By FDA

 
• By Elizabeth Orr

The US agency has banned the use of electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) to prevent self-injurious or aggressive behavior. The ban was first recommended at a 2014 FDA panel hearing and is widely supported by the disability community. The move by the agency is rare; it’s only the third time a medical device has been completely blocked from use in the US.

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The US Food and Drug Administration took the rare step of banning a device type on 4 March, announcing that electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) to prevent self-injurious or aggressive behavior can no longer be legally used or marketed in the country.

In ESD treatment, electrodes attached to the skin deliver an electrical shock intended to discourage unwanted or dangerous behavior. They’re...

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