Analysis of Adverse Event Reports in FDA’s MAUDE Database

Background and Objective: Medical devices (MDs) play a pivotal role in the modern healthcare environment. Adverse events are an expected part of an MD’s lifecycle. To prevent the recurrence of such events, various vigilance systems have been established worldwide. The Manufacturer and User facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a publicly accessible database that contains data of medical device reports (MDRs) submitted to FDA since 1991. The aim of this study is to examine the evolution of MD adverse event reports and analyze several characteristic parameters, as they evolved during the last three decades. Material and Methods: An analysis of MAUDE data was performed to examine the outcomes and device characteristics of adverse event reports from 1991 up to 11/2022. These outcomes included the event type, remedial action, report source, reporter occupation and device evaluation by manufacturer. Specific MD groups were analyzed separately to examine their effect on the event outcomes. Segregated files of the database that contain different types of information on adverse event reports were combined to investigate the various aspects of these reports. Results: Event outcomes are presented as annual histograms. An overall of about 15 million reports have been submitted to MAUDE during the 30 years period examined with more than 2.5 million of them during the first 10 months of the year 2022. This number is growing at an increasing rate. Most of the events (63.5%) have resulted in simple device malfunction, without serious implications to the patient. Depending on the device type however, the health risks may be higher (98.4% injuries from specific dental implants and 3.2% deaths from implantable defibrillators). About 20% of the reports have led to recalls or other corrective actions. Most of the reports (96%) are submitted by manufacturers and over 70% of the devices returned to them are evaluated, following the requirements of FDA 21 CFR, 803. The reporter’s occupation was found to be related to the types of devices associated with the event. Finally, the average device age was found to be 4 years, with an increasing tendency observed over the years, while still most of the events occur during the first year of operation. Conclusion: A medical device adverse event reporting system is a critical component of safety in the use of medical technology in modern healthcare. The information available in MAUDE and its use continues to grow at an accelerated rate and allows critical improvements of MDs, especially in terms of risk prevention, as it gives perception about their safety issues. FDA has taken various steps to encourage and facilitate adverse event reporting and make the data available to the public.