Wound dressing downclassification
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Nonreabsorbable gauze/sponges for external use, hydrophilic wound dressings, occlusive wound dressings, and hydrogel wound dressings are downclassified to Class I, 510(k)-exempt status in an Oct. 4 final rule. The General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel recommended the downclassification at a November 1998 meeting. The Health Industry Manufacturers Association had recommended that porcine wound dressings also be Class I, 510(k)-exempt (1"The Gray Sheet" Nov. 16, 1998, p. 8). FDA plans to address porcine wound dressing in the future. Some panel members had raised concerns about the potential risk for the transmission of infectious materials in wound dressings that are composed of materials derived of animal-based sources