Suture, nonabsorbable, synthetic, polyester: medical device reports filed with FDA

825 reports carry this product code, 1992–2026; 4 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.

825
reports with this product code: 0% of all MAUDE reports; 1
reports, 12 months to August 2026: 3 in the 12 months before; 55.2%
classified as malfunction: 62.3% across all reports; 1.1%
classified as death, as reported: 0.9% across all reports

Product code GAS is FDA's classification for "Suture, nonabsorbable, synthetic, polyester" (general, Plastic Surgery panel), a class 2 device. 825 medical device reports carry this product code, 0% of the MAUDE database, from February 1992 to June 2026.

1 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, down 67% from 3 in 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 (55.2%), injury (42.4%) and death (1.1%). 4 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
ETHIBOND Extra & Excel Polyester Suture	170	34	0%	24.9%
ETHILON Nylon Suture	2	9	0.2%	47.6%
Ultra Fast-Fix Ab Assembly - Curved	2	9	0%	65.6%
Pds	1	199	0%	87.2%

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
Smith & Nephew Endoscopy Division	87	10.5%
Ethicon	75	9.1%
Ponce - Uss	37	4.5%
North Haven - Uss	9	1.1%
Ethicon San Angelo	6	0.7%
Smith & Nephew	4	0.5%
Ussc Puerto Rico	4	0.5%
United States Surgical	2	0.2%
Ethicon Endo Surgery	1	0.1%

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

Death1.1%9

Injury42.4%350

Malfunction55.2%455

Other1.1%9

Not given0.2%2

Who filed

Manufacturer report93.5%771

Voluntary report3.8%31

User facility report0%0

Distributor report0%0

Not given2.8%23

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

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)	Reports	Share
Breakthe device broke	220	26.7%
Device, or device fragments remain in patient	146	17.7%
Replace	129	15.6%
Other (for use when an appropriate device code cannot be identified)	120	14.5%
Positioning failure	57	6.9%
Suture line disruption	52	6.3%
Suture line separation	47	5.7%
Explanted	44	5.3%
Component(s), broken	41	5%
Device remains implanted	37	4.5%
Reactiona reaction, type not specified	36	4.4%
Device issuea problem with the device	33	4%
Difficult or delayed positioning	29	3.5%
Detachment of device component	21	2.5%
Loose	21	2.5%
Device, removal of (non-implant)	20	2.4%
Sticking	20	2.4%
Difficult to insertthe device was hard to insert	15	1.8%
Unraveled material	14	1.7%
Failure to advance	12	1.5%

Questions about suture, nonabsorbable, synthetic, polyester reports

What is product code GAS?

FDA's classification code for "Suture, nonabsorbable, synthetic, polyester", class 2, reviewed by the general, Plastic Surgery panel. Every device report carries the product code of the device involved.

How many reports carry this code?

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

Which brands appear most often?

ETHIBOND Extra & Excel Polyester Suture (170), ETHILON Nylon Suture (2), Ultra Fast-Fix Ab Assembly - Curved (2) and Pds (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.