Medical Devices and Medicine-Device Combinations
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1. General features
Medical devices are the most widely used medical products. More than 10 000 categories of devices exist in the world and so have a diverse range of features. Medical devices can be classified according to their uses into the following:
- diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment or alleviation of disease
- diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, alleviation of or compensation for an injury
- investigation, replacement, modification, or support of the body or of a physiological process
- supporting or sustaining life
- control of conception
- disinfection of medical devices
- providing information by means of examining samples taken from patients (for example, blood tests or biopsies )
In addition, certain products are classified as medical devices in some regions of the world but not in others, and include:
- disinfection substances
- aids for persons with disabilities (also called assistive products)
- devices incorporating animal and/or human tissues
- devices for in vitro fertilisation or assisted reproduction technologies.