IEC 60601-2-52:2009 applies to the basic safety and essential performance of medical beds intended for adults. This first edition cancels and replaces the first edition of IEC 60601-2-38, published in 1996, and its Amendment 1 (1999). This edition constitutes a technical revision. IEC 60601-2-52:2009 is the realization of much work in alignment, and scope adjustment between IEC 60601-2-38, EN 1970, and the third edition of IEC 60601-1.