Reusable medical devices are medical devices intended for repeated use on patients. These devices range from simple, non-invasive types, such as monitors, to complex and invasive types such as. surgical instruments and endoscopes. As reusable medical devices must undergo appropriate reprocessing procedures (cleaning, disinfection, and/or sterilization) between uses, the complexity of a device plays a large role in successful reprocessing. As medical devices become more complex, with more challenging design features the reprocessing procedures become more challenging as well. The ability to effectively reprocess a reusable medical device starts during the design development for the device. While some design features are unavoidable, there are common design features to consider during the design phase that challenge the reprocessing procedures.
During this Reprocessing Rethought, we discussed common design features to consider during the device design development, and what challenges those may pose to successful reprocessing.