Doctors want devices for children
July 23rd, 2008 joshua
A growing number of physicians say the use of adult-sized medical devices, and the lack of child-sized devices, leads to unnecessary deaths.
Only one stent has been approved for use in children since 1989. Cardiologists say they’re forced to either use a non-flexible adult stent on children in need, or create their own device.
Orthopaedic doctors are making the same arguments. We’ve mentioned on this blog in the past about children being severely injured from the use of adult-sized plates on the brain. These devices are not fitted for a child and often do more damage than good.
U.S. politicians are providing financial incentives to medical device makers to develop children-sized devices that will be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These companies must provide the finances for its own testing, however.
In a Reuters report on the subject, doctors interviewed said they’re resorting to taking children overseas to perform surgeries using devices because many are approved elsewhere, just not in the U.S.
