Implementation of FDA's Design Control requirements (21 CFR 820.30) changed an entire industry. Quality System Requirements defined the approach to medical device validation. Product design, manufacturing process, and test method validation studies must be performed before or as a product is transferred to commercial production. Validation studies must demonstrate that product design, process, and test methods/requirements/specifications determined during development can be met in the environment of intended use. This book provides practical guidance on how to develop and validate product designs, manufacturing processes, and test methods that comply with the requirements of QSR.

For designers of medical devices, the FDA and ISO requirements are extremely stringent. Designers and researchers feel pressure from management to quickly develop new devices, while they are simultaneously hampered by strict guidelines. The Six Sigma philosophy has solved this dichotomous paradigm for organizations in other fields, and seeks to do

This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

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.

This book provides up-to-date information on the prototypes used to develop medical devices and explains the principles of biosensing and theranostics. It also discusses the development of biosensor and application-orientated design of medical devices. In addition to summarizing the clinical validation of the developed techniques and devices and the regulatory steps involved in their commercialization, the book highlights the latest research and translational technologies toward the development of point-of-care devices in the health care. Lastly, it explores the current opportunities, challenges and provides troubleshooting on the use of biosensors in precision medicine. The book is helpful for researchers and medical professionals working in the field of clinical theranostics, and medical-device development wanting to gain a better understanding into the principles and processes involved in the development of biosensors.

This book presents vital information on international sterilization standards and guidance on practical application of these standards in the manufacturing process. It covers validation, industrial sterilization methods, emerging sterilization techniques, laboratory testing, manufacturing of sterile devices, and device reuse. Excerpted from The Validator, edited by Anne F. Booth, more than fifty experts share their knowledge of current technologies in easy-to-understand articles that establish methods to ensure compliance. Contents include reviews of ISO sterilization standards, industrial sterilization methods and technologies, and support testing methodologies.

These guidelines form a comprehensive overview of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and examines why FMEA has become a powerful and respected analytical technique for effectively managing and reducing risks. Readers learn how to use FMEA throughout the life cycles of their product to improve customer satisfaction and assure safety and regulatory compliance. They will obtain sound advice on selecting a study team, setting up and conducting a study, and analyzing the results. Other topics include Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis, Risk Management Planning, Advanced Quality Planning, Product Quality Control Plans, and Dynamic Control Plans.