European Meetings Address Advanced Technology and SUD Reuse Issues

Originally Published MDDI December 2001

During a press conference during this year's MEDICA meeting in Düsseldorf, the German Medical Technology Association (BVMed) urged greater recognition of advanced medical devices. Said Volker Wagner, BVMed deputy chairman, "Innovative medical technologies must be more strongly promoted and appreciated in the German healthcare system." Volker argued that Germany needs a more aggressive and innovation-oriented environment to encourage the development of new treatment therapies and medical technologies.

Volker added, "We urge all decision-makers in the field of healthcare to recognize the significance of medical devices and to take adequate account of them in the forthcoming discussion about future policy. First steps have already been taken. The involvement of the medical devices industry in the 'Round Table' of the German health minister reflects the appreciation of medical technology as an independent industry."

The issue of single-use device (SUD) reprocessing was addressed during a recent BVMed conference. During the meeting, a representative of the German Federal Ministry of Health, Hans-Georg Will, urged a stronger stance on the issue of device reprocessing. Will said the reprocessing of single-use medical devices in hospitals must be monitored in a much stronger way by the authorities.

"If increased surveillance of third-party or hospital reprocessors shows that they are unable to reprocess medical devices according to the legal requirements, further legal bans will have to be considered," said Will. According to BVMed, current data do not warrant prohibiting reprocessing of single-use devices in general. The organization notes that reprocessing of medical devices is subject to a validation procedure to lower the potential risk to patients and users.

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