A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Medical Device Safety
Medical devices include instruments, machines or implants used in medical care. Some, like X-ray machines or thermometers, diagnose diseases or conditions. Others, like pacemakers or inhalers, are used for prevention or treatment.
In the U.S., the government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must approve any device before it can be sold. The FDA also monitors safety for approved devices. If a device is defective or causes a health risk, the FDA can issue a recall.
If you use a medical device at home, make sure that you understand how to use it and follow the directions carefully.
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Medical Device Safety(Food and Drug Administration)
- Recently Approved Devices(Food and Drug Administration)
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Latest News
- No Early Link Between All-Metal Hip Implants and Cancer(09/14/2012, Reuters Health)
- Newly Approved Imaging Agent Helps Find Prostate Cancer(09/12/2012, HealthDay)
- Mechanical Device Helps Kids Waiting for Heart Transplant(08/08/2012, HealthDay)
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Specific Conditions
- Avoid Fetal "Keepsake" Images, Heartbeat Monitors(Food and Drug Administration)
- Disposal of Medical Sharps(Environmental Protection Agency)
- Electronic Muscle Stimulators(Food and Drug Administration)
- FDA Targets Risks from Reused Medical Devices(Food and Drug Administration)
- Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medicial Devices That Require Electricity(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Practice Hospital Bed Safety(Food and Drug Administration)
- Products and Medical Procedures(Food and Drug Administration)
- Whole-Body CT Screening--Should I or Shouldn't I Get One?(Food and Drug Administration)
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Related Issues
- Alerts and Notices (Devices)(Food and Drug Administration)
- Buying Medical Devices and Diagnostic Tests Online(Food and Drug Administration)
- Emergency Situations (Medical Devices)(Food and Drug Administration)
- FDA 101: How to Use the Consumer Complaint System and MedWatch(Food and Drug Administration)
- FDA 101: Product Recalls - From First Alert to Effectiveness Checks(Food and Drug Administration)
- FDA Offers Tips about Medical Devices and Hurricane Disasters(Food and Drug Administration)
- Importance of Public Comment to the FDA(Food and Drug Administration)
- Medical Device Recalls(Food and Drug Administration)
- MedWatch, the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program(Food and Drug Administration)
- Reprocessing of Reusable Medical Devices(Food and Drug Administration)
- What Is Human Factors/Usability Engineering?(Food and Drug Administration)
- Your Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA(Food and Drug Administration)
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Videos
- FDA 101: Product Recalls(Food and Drug Administration)
- Reporting Problems to FDA(Food and Drug Administration)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Equipment and Supplies(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Equipment and Supplies
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
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Newsletters/Print Publications
- Consumer Updates(Food and Drug Administration)
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Children
- "In-Body" Pediatric Devices Pose Unique Challenges(Food and Drug Administration)
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Patient Handouts
- Handling sharps and needles
- Also available in Spanish
- Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist(Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
Medical Device Safety - Multiple Languages
