Retractor: medical device reports filed with FDA

1,660 reports carry this product code, 1993–2026; 3 brands with a page.

Read first · FDA's statement on these data

Adverse event reports submitted to FDA do not undergo extensive validation or verification. Therefore, a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report. While a suspected relationship may exist, it is not medically validated and should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision making or other assumptions about the safety or efficacy of a product. Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product. openFDA, FDA

FDA adds: "Although MDRs are a valuable source of information, this passive surveillance system has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data. In addition, the incidence or prevalence of an event cannot be determined from this reporting system alone due to potential under-reporting of events and lack of information about frequency of device use." And: "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices."

Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.

Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.

1,660
reports with this product code: 0% of all MAUDE reports; 104
reports, 12 months to August 2026: 101 in the 12 months before; 76.1%
classified as malfunction: 62.3% across all reports; 0.2%
classified as death, as reported: 0.9% across all reports

Product code GAD is FDA's classification for "Retractor" (general, Plastic Surgery panel), a class 1 device. 1,660 medical device reports carry this product code, 0% of the MAUDE database, from September 1993 to August 2026.

104 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the 101 of the 12 months before. FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases. The event types recorded are malfunction (76.1%), injury (18.9%) and other (3.2%). 3 brand names with a page on this site carry this code; the brands table is ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Brands with this product code

Brand	Reports	Latest 12 months	Classified as death	Classified as malfunction
Codman	3	0	1.6%	57.9%
Cardinal Health	1	185	0.2%	89.8%
Unknown Suture Product	1	28	0.9%	45.3%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Manufacturers named

Manufacturer (as written on reports)	Reports	Share
US Surgical Puerto Rico	72	4.3%
Covidien Formerly Ussc Puerto Rico	44	2.7%
Integra Lifesciences Oh/USA	35	2.1%
Zimmer Biomet Spine	26	1.6%
Applied Medical	16	1%
Applied Medical Resources	16	1%
Cardinal Health	14	0.8%
Coopersurgical	13	0.8%
Medtronic Sofamor Danek	11	0.7%
Ponce - Uss	11	0.7%
Lemaitre Vascular	8	0.5%
Alphatec Spine	6	0.4%
Codman & Shurtleff	6	0.4%
Atricure	5	0.3%
Lacey Manufacturing	5	0.3%

Reports by month, five years

FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases.

Event type and report source

Event type

Death0.2%4

Injury18.9%313

Malfunction76.1%1,264

Other3.2%53

Not given1.6%26

Who filed

Manufacturer report83%1,378

Voluntary report6.6%110

User facility report0%0

Distributor report1.4%24

Not given8.9%148

Grey bar: all 26,136,888 MAUDE reports.

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)	Reports	Share
Breakthe device broke	640	38.6%
Detachment of device component	95	5.7%
Crackthe device cracked	80	4.8%
Detachment of device or device componentpart of the device came off	63	3.8%
Device-device incompatibility	63	3.8%
Fracturea broken bone	55	3.3%
Material integrity problema problem with the device material	42	2.5%
Difficult to removethe device was hard to remove	37	2.2%
Insufficient device problem information	37	2.2%
Component falling	34	2%
Material deformation	33	2%
Compatibility problem	32	1.9%
Corrodedthe device corroded	32	1.9%
Device operates differently than expectedthe device behaved unexpectedly	29	1.7%
Material twisted/bent	29	1.7%
Material fragmentation	28	1.7%
Component missing	26	1.6%
Mechanical problema mechanical problem	23	1.4%
Component(s), broken	20	1.2%
Material separation	18	1.1%

Questions about retractor reports

What is product code GAD?

FDA's classification code for "Retractor", class 1, reviewed by the general, Plastic Surgery panel. Every device report carries the product code of the device involved.

How many reports carry this code?

1,660 reports through August 2026, 104 of them in the latest 12 months.

Which brands appear most often?

Codman (3), Cardinal Health (1) and Unknown Suture Product (1). Widely used products collect more reports because more people use them.

Can the brands table be used to rank the devices?

No. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data." Brands differ in how many are in use, how long they have been sold and how reports are collected.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Device Adverse Event (MAUDE) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 31 Aug 2026. Brand, generic and manufacturer names are as written on the reports; product code names come from FDA's device classification. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.