How safe are new medical devices?

How are medical devices regulated in the European Union?

The Medical Technology Evaluation Programme (MTEP) within the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was set up in 2009; this is a programme focusing specifically on the selection and evaluation of new or innovative medical technologies (including devices and diagnostics). One of the requirements to enable a product to be evaluated by the MTEP is that the device is CE mark...

Implanted Medical Devices Safe from Hackers

Implantable medical devices— such as insulin pumps, cardiac pacemakers, and cardiac defibrillators—have become increasingly popular since being introduced about 50 years ago. In the US alone, 2.6 million people rely on IMDs. An increasing number of today’s devices are equipped with wireless technology enabling, for example, remote checks by healthcare workers. “Patients often receive at-home, b...

Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990.

How Safe Are the New Artificial Turf Fields?

Shortly after the opening of the Houston Astrodome in 1965, turfgrass specialists realized the difficulty of growing natural grass indoors. The solution was the introduction of Astroturf . Astroturf was developed as a short-pile carpet with pad laid over a concrete surface. The advantage for the stadium owners was the very low maintenance costs. However, since its introduction many coaches, pla...

Are we really in safe hands? How safe is safe?