Wearable automated external defibrillator: medical device reports filed with FDA

149,799 reports carry this product code, 2002–2026; 7 brands with a page.

Read first · FDA's statement on these data

Adverse event reports submitted to FDA do not undergo extensive validation or verification. Therefore, a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report. While a suspected relationship may exist, it is not medically validated and should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision making or other assumptions about the safety or efficacy of a product. Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product. openFDA, FDA

FDA adds: "Although MDRs are a valuable source of information, this passive surveillance system has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data. In addition, the incidence or prevalence of an event cannot be determined from this reporting system alone due to potential under-reporting of events and lack of information about frequency of device use." And: "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices."

Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.

Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.

149,799
reports with this product code: 0.6% of all MAUDE reports; 12,507
reports, 12 months to August 2026: 11,974 in the 12 months before; 73.1%
classified as malfunction: 62.3% across all reports; 2.5%
classified as death, as reported: 0.9% across all reports

Product code MVK is FDA's classification for "Wearable automated external defibrillator" (unknown panel), a class 3 device. 149,799 medical device reports carry this product code, 0.6% of the MAUDE database, from February 2002 to August 2026.

12,507 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the 11,974 of the 12 months before. FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases. The event types recorded are malfunction (73.1%), injury (24.4%) and death (2.5%). 7 brand names with a page on this site carry this code; the brands table is ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Brands with this product code

Brand	Reports	Latest 12 months	Classified as death	Classified as malfunction
LifeVest WCD 4000 System	140,779	10,693	2.5%	71.9%
Lifevest Wcd 3000 System	4,102	0	1.8%	97.2%
Lifevest Wcd 3100 System	1,500	0	2.3%	87.5%
LifeVest WCD 5100 System	1,189	1,076	1%	78.5%
Assure Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator	1,118	730	3.5%	96.2%
Lifevest Wcd 4000 Sys	371	0	3%	77.9%
Assure Cardiac Recovery System	208	0	4.8%	95.2%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Manufacturers named

Manufacturer (as written on reports)	Reports	Share
Zoll Manufacturing	133,524	89.1%
Zoll Lifecor	14,502	9.7%
Kestra Medical Technologies	1,334	0.9%
Zoll Medical	4	0%
Ge Oec Medical Systems Slc	1	0%
Maquet Critical Care	1	0%

Reports by month, five years

FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases.

Event type and report source

Event type

Death2.5%3,767

Injury24.4%36,527

Malfunction73.1%109,493

Other0%3

Not given0%9

Who filed

Manufacturer report100%149,741

Voluntary report0%49

User facility report0%0

Distributor report0%0

Not given0%9

Grey bar: all 26,136,888 MAUDE reports.

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)	Reports	Share
Battery problema problem with the battery	15,663	10.5%
Failure to power up	15,134	10.1%
Inappropriate/inadequate shock/stimulation	13,668	9.1%
Device displays incorrect message	13,642	9.1%
Circuit failure	7,846	5.2%
Breakthe device broke	6,749	4.5%
Patient device interaction problem	6,470	4.3%
Device operates differently than expectedthe device behaved unexpectedly	6,333	4.2%
Signal artifact/noise	6,042	4%
Charging problem	4,943	3.3%
Failure to charge	4,166	2.8%
Incorrect interpretation of signal	3,997	2.7%
Key or button unresponsive/not working	3,838	2.6%
Device inoperablethe device could not be used	3,712	2.5%
Over-sensing	3,484	2.3%
Patient-device incompatibilitythe device did not suit the patient	3,391	2.3%
Structural problem	3,070	2%
Protective measures problem	3,012	2%
Contamination /decontamination problem	2,999	2%
Failure of device to self-test	2,537	1.7%

Questions about wearable automated external defibrillator reports

What is product code MVK?

FDA's classification code for "Wearable automated external defibrillator", class 3, reviewed by the unknown panel. Every device report carries the product code of the device involved.

How many reports carry this code?

149,799 reports through August 2026, 12,507 of them in the latest 12 months.

Which brands appear most often?

LifeVest WCD 4000 System (140,779), Lifevest Wcd 3000 System (4,102), Lifevest Wcd 3100 System (1,500), LifeVest WCD 5100 System (1,189) and Assure Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (1,118). Widely used products collect more reports because more people use them.

Can the brands table be used to rank the devices?

No. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data." Brands differ in how many are in use, how long they have been sold and how reports are collected.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Device Adverse Event (MAUDE) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 31 Aug 2026. Brand, generic and manufacturer names are as written on the reports; product code names come from FDA's device classification. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.