Summary
- Total Reports Analyzed: 105 (82 after excluding events with undocumented reasons)
- Mechanical Failures: 54 (66% of subset)
- Biological Failures: 28 (34% of subset)
- Mechanical failures occur significantly later (avg 6 years) than biological complications (avg 3.5 years).
Source:
-U.S. Food and Drug Administration
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/med ... data-files
-AI tools for extracting stats using Event Text (mistakes possible)
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1. Detailed Breakdown by Category
A. Mechanical Failures (n=54)
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COMPONENT / ISSUE COUNT NOTES
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Tubing/Connector Issue 37 Most common. Fractures near pump/cylinder.
Unspecified Fluid Leak 5 "Device empty" - specific leak point unknown.
General Malfunction 5 Generic "mechanical failure" reports.
Pump Issue 4 Pump stuck, frozen, or auto-inflating.
Cylinder Issue 2 Rare. Aneurysm or cylinder body leak.
Reservoir Issue 1 Rare.
The core components (cylinders and reservoir) are highly reliable. The weak link is consistently the tubing and connections.
B. Biological & Surgical Issues (n=28)
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ISSUE COUNT NOTES
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Infection 8 Leading biological cause for removal.
Sizing/Placement 7 "Too short", "tips not seated", etc.
Erosion/Extrusion 5 Device eroding through tissue.
Pain/Discomfort 5 Chronic pain requiring explant.
Other/Migration 3 Migration, swelling, reactions.
Infections and sizing issues account for over half of all non-mechanical revisions.
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2. Time-to-Failure (TTF) Analysis
Calculated the "Age of Device" at the time of failure (Event Date - Manufacture Date). The data shows two distinct lifecycles.
Mechanical Failures (Wear & Tear)
- Average Age: 5.94 Years
- Median Age: 6.08 Years
- Range: 2 months to 15.0 years
- These failures follow a standard wear-out curve, peaking around year 6.
Biological Failures (Surgical/Healing)
- Average Age: 3.52 Years
- Median Age: 1.59 Years
- Range: 5 months to 16.3 years
- These occur much earlier. The low median (1.6 years) indicates most are post-surgical complications.
3. Summary of Visual Findings
- Dominance of Tubing Issues: Visual analysis confirms tubing fractures dwarf all other mechanical issues combined.
- Timeline Split:
- Biological events cluster on the left side of the timeline (Early).
- Mechanical events form a bell curve in the middle/right (Late). - Component Durability: Cylinders and Reservoirs show the lowest failure rates and often survive longer than the tubing connecting them.
