#325 The Role of dFMEAs in Risk Management for Medical Devices

Global Medical Device Podcast · 30 Jun 2023 · 36m · Episode 325

What this episode covers

Wade Schroeder, a medical device expert at Greenlight Guru, explains how dFMEA and ISO 14971 work together to manage risk in medical device design. He argues that while dFMEA provides a useful bottom-up technical view, ISO 14971 offers a necessary top-down, patient-focused strategy that maps directly to FDA expectations. Schroeder highlights Greenlight Guru’s software as a tool that integrates risk management with design controls, reducing the complexity of maintaining separate systems. The discussion emphasizes using tools like fault tree analysis and fishbone diagrams to ensure comprehensive safety without compromising regulatory compliance.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

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  • Let's Combinate · 32m

    202 - Becoming an Expert in the Work Nobody Wants to Do/Design, Risk, and the Messy Middle of Combination Products w/Joey Frechin

    Joey Frechin, a Senior Technical Program Manager in med tech consulting, explains the complexities of aligning risk assessments for combination products, noting that while drug and device teams are starting to integrate their processes, significant methodological gaps remain. He details the P1/P2 probability scoring methodology used in ISO 14971 to distinguish between device failure and patient harm, and shares his career strategy of becoming an expert in 'unwanted' but high-value tasks like DFMEA and PFMEA to bridge engineering and quality teams. Frechin also discusses current industry trends, where companies often pivot from complex bespoke designs to simplified or off-the-shelf subsystems to meet clinical trial timelines, highlighting the critical importance of early sterilization and accelerated aging testing to avoid late-stage failures.

  • Let's Combinate · 24m

    161 - ISO 14971 and ICH Q9 EXPLAINED: Risk Management Frameworks in Medical Devices, Pharma and Combination Products

    Host Subhi Saadeh explains the distinct yet complementary roles of ISO 14971 and ICH Q9 in managing risk for combination products, highlighting how ISO 14971 focuses on patient safety through lifecycle management while ICH Q9 addresses broader pharmaceutical quality risks. He details the recent updates in ICH Q9 R1, particularly regarding managing subjectivity and scaling formality, and contrasts the structured, plan-driven approach of device risk management with the more collaborative, problem-driven nature of pharma risk assessments. Saadeh emphasizes critical concepts unique to ISO 14971, such as 'state of the art' for residual risk evaluation and the dual verification of implementation and effectiveness, which are essential for ensuring safety in complex drug-device combinations.

  • Let's Combinate · 1h 31m

    025 - “The Frying Pan to the Fire” with Edwin Bills

    Edwin Bills, a Risk Management Expert and former committee member for ISO 14971, ISO TR 24971, and AAMI TIR 105, explains the evolution of risk management standards in medical devices and combination products. He details the philosophical differences between ISO 14971 and ICH Q9, emphasizing that risk management must focus on patient safety rather than just regulatory compliance. Bills advises engineers to use qualitative methods early in development and highlights the importance of analyzing interactions between drug and device constituents in combination products. He also discusses the expanded requirements for post-market surveillance in the 2019 standard and the upcoming harmonization of ISO 14971 in Europe.

  • Let's Combinate · 34m

    258 - Combination Product Quality: Human Factors, CDMO Scorecards, ISO 14971 vs. ICH Q9, with Ben Locwin

    Ben Locwin, Vice President at Reliant Life Sciences, and Subhi Saadeh, Founder of Let's Combinate, discuss the divergent quality philosophies of pharmaceutical and medical device industries, focusing on combination products. They explain how human factors studies must account for different user types (HCP vs. lay) even with platform devices, and how CDMO scorecards often fail to reflect operational reality due to subjective weighting. The conversation details the differences between ISO 14971 and ICH Q9 risk management, emphasizing the need for FMEA as a living document updated with real-world data.

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