OBJECTIVES: Wireless telecommunication technology is commonplace in today’s life including health-care environment. Critical care medical equipment such as pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and mechanical ventilators are intended to be life-saving devices and proper functionality is of paramount importance.  However, concern exists regarding the potential electromagnetic interaction between wireless technology and these devices. Our aim is to estimate the nature and relevance of electromagnetic interferences. METHODS: Systematic review of literature up to April 2009. Data sources: ISI Web of Science, Medline and Sumsearch. Study selection: published studies that included testing of wireless technology for electromagnetic interferences on critical care medical devices. RESULTS: Nine studies (published from 1995 to 2008) were eligible. These studies included 7889 tests in 1240 patients. Much of the research identified was of poor quality. As there was considerable heterogeneity in the equipment studied and the testing procedures, we considered it inappropriate to pool the data for meta-analysis. Critical care devices are vulnerable to electromagnetic interferences although most clinically relevant interferences occurred when wireless technology was used within 30 cm-1 meter of medical equipment. CONCLUSIONS: .There is an urgent need for testing standardisation as well as for unambiguous classification of clinically relevant electromagnetic interferences. Additionally, there is an urgent need for studies of good methodological quality to inform the development of sound evidence-based policies.   This study has been supported by the Spanish National I+D Program (grant number STPY 1456/07).