Forceps, general & plastic surgery: medical device reports filed with FDA

677 reports carry this product code, 1992–2026; 7 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.

677
reports with this product code: 0% of all MAUDE reports; 24
reports, 12 months to August 2026: 29 in the 12 months before; 69%
classified as malfunction: 62.3% across all reports; 0.4%
classified as death, as reported: 0.9% across all reports

Product code GEN is FDA's classification for "Forceps, general & plastic surgery" (general, Plastic Surgery panel), a class 1 device. 677 medical device reports carry this product code, 0% of the MAUDE database, from May 1992 to August 2026.

24 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, down 17% from 29 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 (69%), injury (18%) and other (9.7%). 7 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
Karl Storz	21	0	2.1%	24.6%
Unknown_Endoscopy_Product	7	22	0.4%	69.7%
Arthrex	1	28	0%	75.9%
Battery Reamer/Drill	1	0	0%	99.9%
Epd 60000 Rpm	1	0	0%	99.2%
Olympus	1	9	2.5%	69.7%
Pen Ndl 32g 4mm Pro 14 Bag 700 Case Jpx	1	19	0%	94%

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
Richard Wolf	30	4.4%
Gyrus Acmi	21	3.1%
Aesculap	4	0.6%
Biomet Microfixation	3	0.4%
Lake Region Medical	3	0.4%
Codman & Shurtleff	2	0.3%
Conmed Linvatec	2	0.3%
Olympus Winter & Ibe	2	0.3%
Applied Medical	1	0.1%
Arthrex	1	0.1%
Atricure	1	0.1%
Codman And Shurtleff	1	0.1%
Integra Lifesciences Mansfield	1	0.1%
Integra Lifesciences Oh/USA	1	0.1%
Ldr M Dical	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

Death0.4%3

Injury18%122

Malfunction69%467

Other9.7%66

Not given2.8%19

Who filed

Manufacturer report62%420

Voluntary report14%95

User facility report0%0

Distributor report9.5%64

Not given14.5%98

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

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)	Reports	Share
Breakthe device broke	314	46.4%
Detachment of device component	72	10.6%
Tip breakage	70	10.3%
Device, or device fragments remain in patient	41	6.1%
Material separation	38	5.6%
Component(s), broken	26	3.8%
Difficult to removethe device was hard to remove	23	3.4%
Material fragmentation	19	2.8%
Component missing	18	2.7%
Replace	18	2.7%
Component falling	14	2.1%
Device, removal of (non-implant)	14	2.1%
Difficult to open or close	13	1.9%
Other (for use when an appropriate device code cannot be identified)	13	1.9%
Sticking	12	1.8%
Device issuea problem with the device	11	1.6%
Detachment of device or device componentpart of the device came off	10	1.5%
Device or device fragments location unknown	9	1.3%
Bent	8	1.2%
Tear, rip or hole in device packaging	8	1.2%

Questions about forceps, general & plastic surgery reports

What is product code GEN?

FDA's classification code for "Forceps, general & plastic surgery", 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?

677 reports through August 2026, 24 of them in the latest 12 months.

Which brands appear most often?

Karl Storz (21), Unknown_Endoscopy_Product (7), Arthrex (1), Battery Reamer/Drill (1) and Epd 60000 Rpm (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.