What Devices Are Essential During A National Emergency? FDA Panel Makes A List

07 Feb 2024

Members of the US FDA’s General Hospital and Personal Use Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee met on 6 February to discuss what medical devices are critical to public health during a national emergency and help the FDA create a list of those devices.

National Emergency — • Source: Shutterstock

During the height of the pandemic, it became clear that the nation’s stockpile of essential medical equipment and devices and the supply chains that bring them to patients were not as reliable as they needed to be.

Shortages of masks, gloves, and respirators proved dire in many cases leading to worse outcomes for patients, including what could...