Adverse Event Reporting of Commonly Used Gender-Specific Implantable Medical Devices in the United States

Evidence suggests that more women are harmed by implantable medical devices than men. It is unknown whether this difference includes gender-specific devices.

In this study, we examine the differences in reported adverse events between 6 female- and 5 male-specific implantable devices from the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database from 1993 to 2018. Primary endpoints were injury type (life-threatening, disability, death) and the rate of device evaluation by the manufacturer. Proportions of valid entries across these variables were compared using either the Fisher exact test or χ2 test.

Female-specific devices had higher rates of life-threatening outcomes (1.6% versus 0.3%, P < 0.001), disabilities (5.0% versus 4.3%, P < 0.001), and deaths (0.6% versus 0.1%, P < 0.001) compared with the male-specific devices. Of the 8159 devices that were evaluated by the manufacturer, 56% were female specific while 44% were male specific. Female-specific devices were evaluated far less frequently by the manufacturer (4.5% versus 38.2%, P < 0.001).

Increased adverse events reports for female-specific devices and associated high-grade complications necessitates improved postmarket surveillance.