Single-use reprocessed ultrasonic surgical instruments: medical device reports filed with FDA

985 reports carry this product code, 2007–2026; 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.

985
reports with this product code: 0% of all MAUDE reports; 43
reports, 12 months to August 2026: 30 in the 12 months before; 84.5%
classified as malfunction: 62.3% across all reports; 0.3%
classified as death, as reported: 0.9% across all reports

Product code NLQ is FDA's classification for "Single-use reprocessed ultrasonic surgical instruments" (unknown panel), a class U device. 985 medical device reports carry this product code, 0% of the MAUDE database, from August 2007 to August 2026.

43 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, up 43% from 30 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 (84.5%), injury (14.5%) and death (0.3%). 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
Harmonic ACE	22	680	0.1%	97.1%
Ethicon	4	164	2.3%	54.2%
Stryker	3	5	1.3%	46.3%
Sonicision	1	139	0.2%	89.2%

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
Stryker Sustainability Solutions Lakeland	446	45.3%
Sterilmed	100	10.2%
Ethicon Endo Surgery	2	0.2%

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

Death0.3%3

Injury14.5%143

Malfunction84.5%832

Other0.1%1

Not given0.6%6

Who filed

Manufacturer report86.1%848

Voluntary report3.1%31

User facility report0%0

Distributor report0%0

Not given10.8%106

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

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)	Reports	Share
Breakthe device broke	218	22.1%
Device operates differently than expectedthe device behaved unexpectedly	108	11%
Detachment of device component	103	10.5%
Device displays incorrect message	79	8%
Component falling	59	6%
Device inoperablethe device could not be used	47	4.8%
Fracturea broken bone	46	4.7%
Detachment of device or device componentpart of the device came off	44	4.5%
Material fragmentation	33	3.4%
Melted	28	2.8%
Loss of powerthe device lost power	22	2.2%
Energy output to patient tissue incorrect	16	1.6%
Failure to cut	16	1.6%
Insufficient device problem information	16	1.6%
Device stops intermittentlythe device stopped now and then	15	1.5%
Device, removal of (non-implant)	15	1.5%
Overheating of device	15	1.5%
Self-activation or keying	13	1.3%
Device remains activated	10	1%
Tip breakage	10	1%

Questions about single-use reprocessed ultrasonic surgical instruments reports

What is product code NLQ?

FDA's classification code for "Single-use reprocessed ultrasonic surgical instruments", class U, reviewed by the unknown panel. Every device report carries the product code of the device involved.

How many reports carry this code?

985 reports through August 2026, 43 of them in the latest 12 months.

Which brands appear most often?

Harmonic ACE (22), Ethicon (4), Stryker (3) and Sonicision (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.