Microbiological testing for medical devices

Providing microbiological testing for medical devices in line with safety and accreditation requirements set by global standards and regulations

Providing microbiological testing for medical devices in line with safety and accreditation requirements set by global standards and regulations

SAFEGUARD PATIENT HEALTH WITH MICROBIOLOGICAL TESTING

Medical devices have helped to improve the quality of healthcare for many years. This is reinforced by the high level of safety procedures and risk assessments when manufacturing the devices. The goal of every medical device manufacturer is to produce devices that fulfil the intended function while also protecting patients’ health. Therefore, manufacturers must continuously ensure that their medical devices meet the highest quality control standards. One of the ways to evaluate a device’s safety is to examine the presence of harmful pathogens that contaminate the devices. This is accomplished through microbiological testing.

WHAT IS MICROBIOLOGICAL TESTING FOR MEDICAL DEVICES?

Microbiological testing of a medical device refers to tests for the presence and risk of microbial contaminants. Methods may include testing of bioburden levels, presence of endotoxin, and methods for sterility assurance. It is an important subset of the quality and safety controls as it assesses the biological risk of contaminants to eliminate or reduce the possibility of infections to patients. This is further supported by environmental monitoring and microbial control of the entire manufacturing process. Microbiological testing may be applicable to non-sterile medical devices as they may need to be monitored and/or controlled for the presence of objectionable microorganisms.

Sterility assurance of medical devices is one of the requirements set forth by global medical device regulations. Ensuring consistent microbiological testing during manufacturing is imperative to product quality and patient safety.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

TÜV SÜD provides high-quality microbiological testing services for all types of medical devices to meet the latest requirements of global regulators. Our team of dedicated medical device experts and project managers have years of experience and understanding of regulatory requirements, intercepting issues early for rectification. This saves a vast amount of time and resources for manufacturers, who can then successfully meet their targets for product development and placement of the medical device on the global market. 

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ISO 10993
Infosheet

ISO 10993 Biocompatibility Testing of Medical Devices

Learn more about the ISO 10993 series of standards that address the biocompatibility testing of medical devices based on material, contact type and duration.

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