Medical devices play an important role in the field of medical and health technology, and encompass a wide range of health care products. Directive 2007/47/EC defines a medical device as any instrument, apparatus, appliance, software, material or other article, whether used alone or in combination, including the software intended by its manufacturer to be used specifically for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes and necessary for its proper application, intended by the manufacturer to be used for human beings. The design and manufacture of medical devices brings together a range of articles and case studies dealing with medical device R&D. Chapters in the book cover materials used in medical implants, such as Titanium Oxide, polyurethane, and advanced polymers; devices for specific applications such as spinal and craniofacial implants, and other issues related to medical devices, such as precision machining and integrated telemedicine systems. - Contains articles on a diverse range of subjects within the field, with internationally renowned specialists discussing each medical device - Offers a practical approach to recent developments in the design and manufacture of medical devices - Presents a topic that is the focus of research in many important universities and centres of research worldwide

The term 'medical devices' covers a wide range of equipment essential for patient care at every level of the health service, whether at the bedside, at a health clinic or in a large specialised hospital. Yet many countries lack access to high-quality devices, particularly in developing countries where health technology assessments are rare and there is a lack of regulatory controls to prevent the use of substandard devices. This publication provides a guidance framework for countries wishing to create or modify their own regulatory systems for medical devices, based on best practice experience in other countries. Issues highlighted include: the need for harmonised regulations; and the adoption, where appropriate, of device approvals of advanced regulatory systems to avoid an unnecessary drain on scarce resources. These approaches allow emphasis to be placed on locally-assessed needs, including vendor and device registration, training and surveillance and information exchange systems.

This textbook provides essential knowledge for biomedical product development, including material properties, fabrication processes and design techniques for different applications, as well as process design and optimization. This book is multidisciplinary and readers can learn techniques to apply acquired knowledge for various applications of biomedical design. Further, this book encourages readers to discover and convert newly reported technologies into products and services for the future development of biomedical applications. This is an ideal book for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, engineers, technologists, and researchers working in the area of biomedical engineering and manufacturing. This book also: Provides a comprehensive set of fundamental knowledge for engineering students and entry level engineers to design biomedical devices Offers a unique approach to manufacturing of biomedical devices by integrating and formulating different considerations in process design tasks into optimization problems Provides a broad range of application examples to guide readers through the thinking process of designing and manufacturing biomedical devices, from basic understanding about the requirements and regulations to a set of manufacturing parameters

No book has been published that gives a detailed description of all the types of plastic materials used in medical devices, the unique requirements that the materials need to comply with and the ways standard plastics can be modified to meet such needs. This book will start with an introduction to medical devices, their classification and some of the regulations (both US and global) that affect their design, production and sale. A couple of chapters will focus on all the requirements that plastics need to meet for medical device applications. The subsequent chapters describe the various types of plastic materials, their properties profiles, the advantages and disadvantages for medical device applications, the techniques by which their properties can be enhanced, and real-world examples of their use. Comparative tables will allow readers to find the right classes of materials suitable for their applications or new product development needs.

Rare diseases collectively affect millions of Americans of all ages, but developing drugs and medical devices to prevent, diagnose, and treat these conditions is challenging. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends implementing an integrated national strategy to promote rare diseases research and product development.

Medical devices that are deemed to have a moderate risk to patients generally cannot go on the market until they are cleared through the FDA 510(k) process. In recent years, individuals and organizations have expressed concern that the 510(k) process is neither making safe and effective devices available to patients nor promoting innovation in the medical-device industry. Several high-profile mass-media reports and consumer-protection groups have profiled recognized or potential problems with medical devices cleared through the 510(k) clearance process. The medical-device industry and some patients have asserted that the process has become too burdensome and is delaying or stalling the entry of important new medical devices to the market. At the request of the FDA, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined the 510(k) process. Medical Devices and the Public's Health examines the current 510(k) clearance process and whether it optimally protects patients and promotes innovation in support of public health. It also identifies legislative, regulatory, or administrative changes that will achieve the goals of the 510(k) clearance process. Medical Devices and the Public's Health recommends that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gather the information needed to develop a new regulatory framework to replace the 35-year-old 510(k) clearance process for medical devices. According to the report, the FDA's finite resources are best invested in developing an integrated premarket and postmarket regulatory framework.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring that medical devices are safe and effective before they go on the market. As part of its assessment of FDA's premarket clearance process for medical devices, the IOM held a workshop June 14-15 to discuss how to best balance patient safety and technological innovation. This document summarizes the workshop.