Medical Devices

Medical devices are a wide range of products used for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation, and palliation.

They include:
Simple devices: Such as tongue depressors, medical thermometers, disposable gloves, and bedpans
High-risk devices: Such as pacemakers, which are implanted and sustain life
Imaging devices: Such as ultrasound and CT scanners
Equipment: Such as anesthesia machines, patient monitors, and hemodialysis machines
Software: Such as computer aided diagnostics
In vitro diagnostics: Such as glucometer and HIV tests
Personal protective equipment: Such as masks, gowns, and gloves
Surgical and laboratory instruments: A variety of instruments
Medical devices differ from medicines because they generally have a physical or mechanical effect on the body or are used to measure or monitor the body and its functions.