Medical device safety

Medical devices can be simple devices, such as adhesive bandages, toothbrushes and contact lenses. They can also be complex devices, such as X-ray units, insulin pumps and pacemakers. All medical devices have benefits and risks. Canada's medical devices regulations require that the benefits of using medical devices for their intended purpose outweigh the risks and that the potential risks have been reduced as much as possible.

Health Canada sometimes receives important new information about the safety, effectiveness or quality of a medical device after it has been sold in Canada. New information may become available as the device is used over a longer period of time, by more people or by a more diverse group of people. For example, age, sex, gender, ethnicity, geography, Indigeneity or disability may affect the benefits and risks of a device. For these reasons, we continue to monitor the benefits and risks of medical devices while they are sold in Canada.