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MEDICAL DEVICE RECALLS IN CANADA FROM 2005 TO 2015

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2017

Anna R. Gagliardi ,
Julie Takata ,
Ariel Ducey ,
Pascale Lehoux ,
Sue Ross Open the ORCID record for Sue Ross [Opens in a new window] ,
Patricia L. Trbovich ,
Anthony Easty ,
Chaim M. Bell  and
David R. Urbach
Anna R. Gagliardi
Affiliation:
Division of Support Systems and Outcomes, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation
Julie Takata
Affiliation:
Division of Support Systems and Outcomes, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute
Ariel Ducey
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Calgary
Pascale Lehoux
Affiliation:
Department of Health Management, Evaluation and Policy, University of Montreal Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM), University of Montreal
Sue Ross
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta Women and Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta
Patricia L. Trbovich
Affiliation:
Department of Health Management, Evaluation and Policy, University of Montreal
Anthony Easty
Affiliation:
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Chaim M. Bell
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Toronto Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
David R. Urbach
Affiliation:
Division of Support Systems and Outcomes, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation Department of Surgery, Women's College Hospital and University of Toronto Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Caredavid.urbach@wchospital.ca
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Abstract

Objectives: Medical devices are ubiquitous in modern medical care. However, little is known about the epidemiology of medical devices in the healthcare marketplace, including the rate at which medical devices are subject to recalls or other advisories. We sought to study the epidemiology of medical devices in Canada, focusing on device recalls. In Canada, a recall may signify a variety of events, ranging from relatively minor field safety notifications, to removal of a product from the marketplace.

Methods: We used data from Health Canada to study medical device recalls in Canada from 2005 to 2015. We analyzed the risks of medical device recalls according to the risk class of the device (I lowest; IV highest) and the hazard priority of the recall (Type I highest potential harm; Type III lowest potential harm).

Results: During a 10-year period, there were 7,226 medical device recalls. Most recalls were for intermediate risk class (Class II, 40.1 percent; Class III, 38.7 percent) medical devices. Among recalled devices, 5.0 percent were judged to have a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death (Type I recall Hazard Priority classification). While the number of medical devices marketed in Canada is not known, over a similar 10-year period, 24,849 new Class II, II, and IV medical device licenses were issued by Health Canada.

Conclusions: Several hundred medical device recalls occur in Canada each year. Further research is needed to characterize the nature of medical device recalls, and to explore how consumers use information about recalls.

Keywords

Medical devicesMedical device recallsCanadaSafety
Type
Policies
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 33 , Issue 6 , 2017 , pp. 708 - 714
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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