Instrument, surgical, orthopedic, ac-powered motor and accessory/attachment medical device reports that FDA received
- FDA product code
- HWE
- Device class
- Class 1
- Panel
- General, Plastic Surgery
What a report is
A report is not proof that the device was the cause of the event.
FDA says:
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.
Source: openFDA, Device Adverse Event Overview, section "Responsible use of the data". The site read the page on . The data have the reports that FDA received through .
FDA also says:
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.
Source: openFDA, Device Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .
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.
Source: openFDA, Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience. The site read the page on .
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.
Source: openFDA, Response of the drug event API (meta.disclaimer). The site read the page on .
Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.
Reports on file
Product code HWE is the FDA classification for Instrument, surgical, orthopedic, ac-powered motor and accessory/attachment. The panel is General, Plastic Surgery. The device class is 1.
From March 1995 to September 2026, FDA received 50,540 medical device reports that have this product code.
FDA received 2,316 reports in the 12 months to September 2026 and 3,160 in the 12 months before. FDA releases MAUDE data every month. Reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases.
Of the 3,444,740 device reports that FDA received in the 12 months to September 2026, 2,316 (0.1%) have this product code. Manufacturer reports were 99.3% of the reports that have this product code and 94.9% of all device reports.
The number of people who use the product is not in the data. A count is not a rate.
Product code
FDA gives each type of device a product code of three letters. A report has the code of its device, so a code has the reports of each brand of one device type.
Device class
Class I, II or III is the regulatory class of FDA for the device type. It is not a rating of a product.
Data version
openFDA MAUDE release of 23 Oct 2026. Reports received through 30 Sep 2026.
Brand names of this type
The rows are in order of name. One product can have more than one spelling, and each spelling is a row.
FDA says:
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.
Source: openFDA, Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience. The site read the page on .
Manufacturers named
The table has the 34 manufacturers with 5 or more reports that have this product code. The rows are in order of name. A manufacturer with fewer reports is not in the table.
FDA says:
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.
Source: openFDA, Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience. The site read the page on .
| Manufacturer, as written on reports | Reports |
|---|---|
| Acumed | 20 |
| Aesculap | 61 |
| Arthrex | 868 |
| Conmed Linvatec | 344 |
| Depuy Ireland - 3015516266 | 74 |
| Depuy Ireland - 9616671 | 225 |
| Depuy Spine | 38 |
| Depuy Synthes Power Tools | 9,209 |
| Depuy Synthes Products | 7,346 |
| Greatbatch Medical | 10 |
| Linvatec | 154 |
| Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA | 133 |
| Oberdorf Synthes Produktions | 130 |
| Richard Wolf | 9 |
| Smith & Nephew | 184 |
| Stryker | 194 |
| Stryker Instruments | 67 |
| Stryker Instruments Kalamazoo | 300 |
| Stryker Instruments-A Division Of Stryker | 2,325 |
| Stryker Instruments-Kalamazoo | 5,007 |
| Stryker Ireland | 171 |
| Stryker Osteosynthesis Kiel | 7 |
| Stryker Trauma Kiel | 106 |
| Synthes | 13,680 |
| Synthes Bettlach | 79 |
| Synthes Elmira | 39 |
| Synthes Oberdorf | 4,823 |
| Synthes Selzach | 130 |
| Synthes USA | 179 |
| Tornier | 7 |
| Tornier S | 20 |
| Treace Medical Concepts | 118 |
| Wright Medical Technology | 21 |
| Zimmer | 23 |
Manufacturers, importers and device user facilities are mandatory reporters. The guide on what affects a count gives FDA's words.
Reports by month
FDA releases MAUDE data every month. Reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases.
Event type and report source
| Event type | Reports | Share | Share as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death | 7 | under 0.1% | |
| Injury | 1,162 | 2.3% | |
| Malfunction | 49,297 | 97.5% | |
| Other | 58 | 0.1% | |
| Not given | 16 | under 0.1% |
| Report source | Reports | Share | Share as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer report | 50,199 | 99.3% | |
| Voluntary report | 135 | 0.3% | |
| User facility report | 0 | 0% | |
| Distributor report | 14 | under 0.1% | |
| Not given | 192 | 0.4% |
The event type is the classification that the reporter gave. FDA does not verify it.
Device problems coded
| Device problem (FDA code) | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical jam | 6,615 | 13.1% |
| Physical resistance/sticking | 5,151 | 10.2% |
| Breakthe device broke | 4,133 | 8.2% |
| Complete loss of power | 3,809 | 7.5% |
| Device inoperablethe device could not be used | 3,449 | 6.8% |
| Unintended system motionthe device moved when it should not have | 3,180 | 6.3% |
| Noise, audible | 3,073 | 6.1% |
| Device operates differently than expectedthe device behaved unexpectedly | 2,986 | 5.9% |
| Output below specifications | 2,604 | 5.2% |
| Fracturea broken bone | 2,229 | 4.4% |
| Fail-safe problem | 2,184 | 4.3% |
| Overheating of device | 2,117 | 4.2% |
| Excessive heating | 1,754 | 3.5% |
| Detachment of device or device componentpart of the device came off | 1,486 | 2.9% |
| Mechanical problema mechanical problem | 1,171 | 2.3% |
| Partial blockage | 1,021 | 2% |
| Disassembly | 866 | 1.7% |
| Intermittent loss of power | 760 | 1.5% |
| Sticking | 747 | 1.5% |
| Failure to cut | 727 | 1.4% |
Official pages
- Medical Device Reporting (MDR): How to Report Medical Device ProblemsThe FDA page that tells how to report a problem with a medical device.
- MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting FormThe online form of FDA for a voluntary report.
- Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) DatabaseThe search page of FDA for the device reports.
The site checked these addresses on . The links open in a new tab.
Cite this page
Reported Reactions. Instrument, surgical, orthopedic, ac-powered motor and accessory/attachment (product code HWE): medical device reports that FDA received. https://reportedreactions.com/device-type/hwe/ Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA Device Adverse Event (MAUDE) files, release of . Reports received through .
Where the data come from
The counts come from the openFDA Device Adverse Event (MAUDE) bulk files, release of 23 Oct 2026. The files have the reports that FDA received through 30 Sep 2026. Brand names, generic names and manufacturer names are as written on the reports. The names of the product codes come from the device classification of FDA.
The site does not publish a report narrative, a lot number, a detail of a patient or the identity of a reporter. The record of FDA is the authority. See how the site counts reports, the data sources and the corrections page.
Questions
What is product code HWE?
It is the FDA classification code for Instrument, surgical, orthopedic, ac-powered motor and accessory/attachment, class 1, in the General, Plastic Surgery panel. Each device report has the product code of the device.
What event types do the reports record?
Death (7), injury (1,162), malfunction (49,297) and other (58). The event type is the classification that the reporter gave. FDA does not verify it.
Can the table of brand names rank the devices?
No. FDA says:
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.
Source: openFDA, Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience. The site read the page on .
Brands also differ in the number of devices in use and in their time on the market.