ASM International, a society for materials engineering, and Granta Design, a specialist in materials information technology, have announced a new Surgical module in the ASM Medical Materials Database.
The resource covers materials used in surgical devices, combining engineering material properties and biomedical response data with surgical application information.
The Surgical module is fully integrated with existing Orthopaedic, Cardiovascular, and Neurological data modules, extending the range of devices for which the database enables designers to make informed decisions in key areas such as material selection, substitution, qualification, and regulation.
The new data includes descriptions of surgical devices and the materials that they use (with specific grades, coatings, and more).
The database content represents thousands of hours of data acquisition, peer review, and verification. It details hundreds of material types, available from over 1000 providers, together with compatible coatings, drugs, adhesives, and processes. Coverage includes mechanical, physical, biological response, and drug compatibility properties. Each material is linked to devices in which it has been used.
Device coverage now includes more than 33,700 individual FDA approvals, as well as additional reference material. Surgical device coverage includes diagnostic, prosthetic, surgical, and therapeutic general and plastic surgery devices. Where data is available, links have been made from these devices to the materials, specific grades, coatings, and drugs used in the devices. Existing orthopaedic device coverage includes fixation, hips, knees, spinal, ankle, toe, elbow, finger, shoulder, wrist, cranioplasty, maxillofacial, and ossicular. Cardiovascular devices include artificial hearts, bypass devices, clips, defibrillators, filters, grafts, heart valves, hemostasis devices, pacemakers, patches, stents, and vascular embolisation devices. Neurological information includes records detailing nerve cuffs, dura substitutes, cranial orthoses, central nervous system shunts, cranial drills, ventricular catheters, bite blocks, intracranial pressure monitoring devices, electrodes, and nerve stimulators.
Commenting on the launch of the new data module, Scott Henry, Director, Content and Knowledge Based Solutions at ASM, said “The Surgical module enables design engineers and others who research and develop materials used in surgical devices to save time and mitigate risk. We are excited to provide this important set of information and data within the ASM Medical Materials Database.” Granta’s Managing Director, Professor David Cebon, said “This latest addition to the ASM Medical Database continues our long history of collaboration with ASM. We’re pleased that the new Surgical module further extends the range of applications supported by our software and information resources.”