In this episode of the Global Medical Device Podcast, Etienne Nichols sits down with Leo Eisner, founder of Eisner Safety Consultants and a leading voice in IEC 60601 standards development.

We unpack the upcoming revisions to IEC 60601, 4th ed., focusing on the rationale behind these changes, their impact on medical device design, and how MedTech professionals can prepare for the future.

Leo provides insights into the intricate process of updating global standards, shares practical advice for compliance, and discusses the role of risk management in ensuring safer, more effective medical devices.

Key Points:

1. New Modular Approach:
   • The updated standard adopts a modular approach (12 working groups focused on specific hazard areas).
   • Simplifies updates by consolidating Collateral Standards into the General Standard.
   • Aligns better with global regulations.
2. IEC 60601-1 4th Edition:
   • Focuses on addressing various hazards including:
     • physical environment,
     • electrical,
     • thermal and fire,
     • mechanical,
     • user interface (usability, alarms, information supplied by the manufacturer & user interface aspects),
     • materials,
     • optical radiation, and
     • electromagnetic exposure hazards.
3. New Requirements:
   • Introduces new international requirements for wireless coexistence and other cutting-edge technologies (e.g., gas pathways, user interface aspects).
4. Consolidation of Standards:
   • Collateral standards are being consolidated to improve consistency and reduce the update cycle time for the 60601 series.
5. Timeline and Publication Dates:
   • Expected timeline for the fourth edition is 2029-2030.
   • Companies need to plan now, though the actual timeline may slip depending on various factors.
6. Benefits of Proactive Planning:
   • Proactive planning and test preparation are essential for regulatory success.
   • Staying informed and embracing continuous learning in MedTech are key factors for success.
7. Practical Advice for Compliance:
   • Begin designing for new standards early, even before they are finalized. MedTech design cycles are long.
   • Engage with industry groups and standards organizations.
   • Use test planning to streamline development and meet regulatory expectations efficiently.
8. Engaging in the Standards Development Process:
   • Manufacturers are encouraged to engage in the standards development process and submit comments.
   • This proactive approach can help shape the standards and ensure they are practical and achievable.

These updates aim to enhance safety and performance while keeping pace with technological advancements. Manufacturers need to stay informed and prepare for the impact these changes will have on their product lines and quality systems.

Resources:

Design specification Outline for the fourth edition of IEC 60601-1

Architectural Specification For Safety Standards of Medical Electrical Equipment, Medical Electrical Systems, and Software Used in Healthcare

Only 5 of the 12 Fragments went out for CD on 6 Dec 2024, which were Working Groups (WGs) WG37, 38, 39, 40 & 47 (Fragments 1, 2, 3, 4, & 11 respectively). The status of each of these Fragments is noted below:

• Fragment 1 (WG37) Status
• Fragment 2 (WG38) Status
• Fragment 3 (WG39) Status
• Fragment 4 (WG40) Status
• Fragment 11 (WG47) Status

The other 7 fragments will go out for CD approximately May ’25 (estimated schedule is my best intelligence). Fragments 5 – 10 & 12. You can look at the SC 62A Work Programme and find the Fragment number in the descriptions for each project on the first 12 projects of the Work Programme to find the status of each Fragment.

If you are a National Committee (NC) member and want to comment on the Fragment depending on your NC rules you may be placing your comments directly into the Online Standards Development (OSD) Platform for the Fragment. Other NCs are collecting the comments and then the NC Secretariat (or similar role) will be responsible for placing all the comments into OSD. Please check with your NC for your specific rules. Details about the OSD platform, How to use OSD, OSD resources (various training and other resources)

New terms and definitions which IEC 60601-1, 4th Ed. will be based on but other Technical Committees will adopt across the Healthcare sector to increase consistency – “International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) – Part 880: Electrical equipment, electrical systems and software used in healthcare” – IEC Website that has the schedule, list of draft documents. The CDV was released on 13 Dec 2024. If you are a National Committee Member of TC 1, TC 62, SC 62A, SC 62B, SC 62C, SC 62D, TC 65, TC 66, TC 76, TC 87, or SyC AAL you should be able to get access to this document and be able to comment on this document. This document is also being distributed for comment to ISO TC 210 and some additional ISO TCs .

Engage with the Podcast on the LinkedIn Post we’d like to hear from you

If you found this interesting or helpful, consider reposting on LinkedIn; follow me, Leonard (Leo) Eisner, the60601Guy and click the so you don’t miss future content.

Need Help?

Need help with 60601 series standards including EMC? Eisner Safety Consultants can assist with strategic compliance planning for your medical electrical product lines, provide support when FDA or a regulator asks questions for a submission, and more. We deal with EU, US, and other country regulatory requirements, standards, laws, directives, and more. Our team also provides support with Swiss MedDO, EU MDR, clinical evaluation assessment, NB remediation, STEDs, and more. We work with many test labs for medical safety and EMC and can arrange other testing as well. Feel free to schedule a web meeting with Leo or contact us.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲? Podcast with one of the best MedTech podcasters Etienne Nichols – Greenlight Guru‘s very own

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀:
• Why standards like IEC60601 are crucial for medical device development
• Steps for identifying proper standards for your product
• How to integrate standards into your design process
• Mistakes & consequences of ignoring standards
• Tools for staying updated on changing standards & regulations
• How startups can navigate standards with limited resources

If you have any thoughts and comments on the podcast I’d would like to hear from you Comment on the LinkedIn post about the Podcast

If you found this interesting or helpful, consider Reposting on LinkedIn; follow me, Leonard (Leo) Eisner, the60601Guy and click the so you don’t miss future content.

Need help with 60601 series standards including EMC; strategic compliance planning for your medical electrical product lines; need support when FDA or a regulator asks questions for a submission Eisner Safety Consultants experts deal with EU, US, & other country regulatory requirements & standards, laws, directives, and more. Eisner Safety Consultants team of experts also provides support with Swiss MedDO, EU MDR, clinical evaluation assessment, NB remediation, STEDs and more. His team includes experts on additional standards committees and we all talk to the regulators regularly. We’re here to support your needs.

We work with many test labs for Medical Safety & EMC and can arrange other testing, as well. Please let us know if we can help when you contact us.

Feel free to schedule a web meeting with Leo or contact Leo at Leo@EisnerSafety.com or through our contact form.

This amendment is multifaceted and will introduce many new changes to the symbol requirements that medical device organizations around the world will be expected to follow.

The 4th Edition of ISO 15223-1 will include 25 additional symbols in total, newly defined terms and removal of existing terms as well as inclusion of terms from other standards, and expansion of the informative annex containing examples—just to name a few.

Understanding the new requirements of ISO 15223-1 4th Edition and the intent behind these major changes will be a critically urgent task for both medical device manufacturers and organizations operating within the medical device supply chain.

This free, in-depth webinar will be presented by one of the industry’s most knowledgeable experts on this topic, Leo Eisner, a committee member of ISO/TC 210/WG 3 (ISO 15223-1). Attendees will learn about the latest updates to this key international standard, understand the full scope of changes to the ISO 15223-1 4th Edition, and uncover actionable ways to easily and effectively transition to compliance with the new requirements.

SPECIFICALLY THIS WEBINAR WILL COVER:

• Summary of what’s changing from the 3rd to 4th Edition of ISO 15223-1
• Details about revisions to scope and introduction
• Explanation of defined terms that have been added and removed from amended version
• New symbols included in the 4th Edition
• Overview of the expansion of informative annex containing examples
• Q&A session

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Design and Development Engineers and Management
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals and Management
• Quality Professionals and Management
• Medical Device Labeling, Packaging, and Distribution Firms
• Clinical Affairs Professionals and Management
• Medical Device Executives

So are you ready for all the changes of Amendment 2 of IEC 60601-1 and all the Amendments?

Join us for a live free webinar on an Insider’s look at IEC60601 Amendments: detailed guidance from a committee member responsible for changes – Aug 27, 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET

With several hundred changes written into the 60601-1 Amendment alone, suffice it to say that the full scope of changes to the IEC60601 series is massive, creating a swell of confusion around understanding the updates & how to transition for compliance.

Greenlight Guru has teamed up with Leonard Eisner, the “IEC 60601 Guy”, of Eisner Safety Consultants to share his expertise on the topic, notably his contributions to The Amendments Project.

This in-depth webinar will cover clarifying details around the massive changes of the Amendments Project, provide guidance on updated standards already published, insider knowledge into updated standards not yet published & what to expect, & how to prepare accordingly for the impact it will have on your firm and product lines.

SOME OF THE CHANGES WE WILL COVER INCLUDE: 

• Updates to IEC 60601-1 (Medical Electrical Equipment)
• Updates to IEC 60601-1-2 (EMC)
• Updates to IEC 60601-1-8 (Alarms)
• Impacts of standard changes on:
  • Design
  • Regulatory approvals (i.e. FDA vs EU Notified Body – current vs new standards)
  • Safety certifications
  • Labeling / markings / packaging
  • Tests/ retesting
  • Essential Performance
  • Risk Management File
  • Usability Engineering File
  • Software Life Cycle Process
• Q&A session

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• R&D Engineers and Management
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals and Management
• Quality Professionals and Management
• Medical Device Executives
• Clinical Affairs Professionals and Management

It’s becoming increasingly more difficult for medical device manufacturers and consultants to stay up to date with the proliferation of changes in the regulatory landscape.

With several hundred changes written into the 60601-1 Amendment alone, suffice it to say that the full scope of changes to the IEC 60601 series is massive, creating a swell of confusion around understanding the updates and how to transition for compliance.

We’ve teamed up with Leo Eisner, the “IEC 60601 Guy”, of Eisner Safety Consultants to share his expertise on the topic, notably his contributions to The Amendment Project.

This in-depth webinar will cover clarifying details around the massive changes of the IEC 60601 Amendments, provide guidance on the updated standards already published, insider knowledge into the updated standards not yet published and what to expect, and how to prepare accordingly for the impact it will have on your firm and product lines.

SPECIFICALLY THIS WEBINAR WILL COVER:

• Updates to IEC 60601-1 (Medical Electrical Equipment)
• Updates to IEC 60601-1-2 (EMC)
• Updates to IEC 60601-1-8 (Alarms)
• Impact of standard changes on:
  • Design
  • Regulatory approvals (i.e. FDA vs EU Notified Body – current vs new standards)
  • Safety certifications
  • Labeling / markings / packaging
  • Tests/ retesting
  • Essential Performance
  • Risk Management File
  • Usability Engineering File
  • Software Life Cycle Process
• Q&A session

Who Should Attend?

• R&D Engineers and Management
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals and Management
• Quality Professionals and Management
• Medical Device Executives
• Clinical Affairs Professionals and Management

ABOUT GREENLIGHT GURU

Greenlight Guru is the only medical device quality management system (MDQMS) for companies to bring new products to market faster while simplifying regulatory compliance and reducing risk. Being the only industry specific, cloud-based software, Greenlight Guru is easier to implement, easier to use and designed to fit all medical device needs to enable innovative, safe and effective, True Quality medical devices. Visit our homepage to learn more.

ABOUT EISNER SAFETY CONSULTANTS

Eisner Safety Consultants supports your regulatory, quality systems, product safety, EMC, and engineering needs. Our experts speed your way to on-time product approvals via safety and regulatory agencies. We provide assistance with U.S., Canadian, European, & other international regulations. You can see a full list of the service offerings from Eisner Safety Consultants by visiting their website to learn more.

Standards are a key priority for the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF).

Its forthcoming guidance, “Optimizing Standards for Regulatory Use,” encourages the development of ‘regulatory ready’ standards, including direction to Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) to consider medical device ‘essential principles’ when writing standards.

This webinar will introduce viewers to IMDRF, review this upcoming guidance, and discuss the role IMDRF and its priorities play in relation to international medical electrical equipment standards in the IEC 60601 series (IEC 60601-X-YY / IEC/ISO 80601-2-YY), proposed IEC 60601 series updates, and significant changes planned for the draft IEC 60601-1 Ed3.2.

Finally, it will summarize why standards conformity assessment is critical to ensure success of global harmonization.

This webinar is being co-presented by me, Leo Eisner, the “IEC 60601 Guy”, founder and principal regulatory & product safety consultant at Eisner Safety Consultants, along with Captain Scott Colburn and Gail Rodriguez of the FDA, and moderated by Jon Speer of Greenlight Guru.

WHEN: November 1, 2018 1PM ET/10AM PT

Sign-up now for the limited live seating of the free webinar

Top Take Aways

• Overview of IMDRF
• IMDRF’s forthcoming guidance “Optimizing Standards for Regulatory Use”
• Key concept of the Essential Principles of Safety & Performance
• Concept of Essential Performance in IEC 60601 standards for medical electrical equipment and how it relates to the Essential Principles
• Upcoming major changes and revisions to the IEC 60601 series

Who Should Attend?

• Medical Device Industry Executives
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals and Management
• Quality Professionals and Management
• Clinical Affairs Professionals and Management
• R&D Engineers and Management
• Regulators
• Standards Development Organizations and Standards Developers
• Test Labs
• Accreditors

IMDRF History & Further Details About Webinar

The International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) was established in February 2011 as a forum for a voluntary group of medical device regulators from around the world to promote medical device regulatory harmonization. Standards, as an important resource for harmonization, are a key priority for IMDRF. The draft IMDRF guidance “Optimizing Standards for Regulatory Use” is primarily directed at regulatory authorities (RAs), Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) and those interested in the application of standards to support regulatory frameworks (i.e. manufacturers), the guidance aims to encourage the development of ‘regulatory ready’ standards, including direction to SDOs to consider medical device ‘essential principles’ when writing standards. Essential principles, which are outlined in ISO 16142 and currently under development at IMDRF, will include references to medical device performance.

The IEC 60601 series of standards for medical electrical equipment and systems also feature expectations for essential performance. We will highlight the intersection of the two key concepts between the essential principles and the IEC essential performance to demonstrate how standards can help with global harmonization in medical device regulation.

Further, we will provide a brief update on the latest standards revision status for the IEC 60601 series, including some significant changes planned for the draft IEC 60601-1 Ed3.2.

About Leo Eisner

Leo is heavily involved in the IEC 60601 standards development process for several of the standards in the series. He is the US Co-chair for IEC SC62D in charge of a majority of the IEC 60601-2-XX / IEC/ISO 80601-2-XX Particular Standards. He is on several Working Groups and Maintenance Teams working on the development of the draft IEC 60601-1, edition 3.2 (3rd edition + Amendment 2).

Eisner Safety Consultants has helped countless clients thru the Regulatory and Product Safety maze over our 22 year history of the company. Leo has over 30 years experience in product safety and 24 years experience in the medical device industry. Leo ran the Compliance Engineering Group at Karl Storz and was a Senior Product Safety engineer at TÜV Product Service prior to starting Eisner Safety Consultants. Leo has worked as a Notified Body auditor and technical reviewer for TÜV Product Service/SÜD, NSAI, and is currently a technical reviewer for Pre-Safe (Joint venture between NEMKO & DNV).

About greenlight guru

greenlight.guru is the only Quality Management Software built exclusively for the unique needs of medical device companies, allowing you to bring safer devices to market faster while reducing risk and ensuring compliance. Visit their home page to learn more.

About Eisner Safety Consultants

Leo is heavily involved in the IEC 60601 standards development process for several of the standards in the series. He is the US Co-chair for IEC SC62D in charge of a majority of the IEC 60601-2-XX / IEC/ISO 80601-2-XX Particular Standards. He is on several Working Groups and Maintenance Teams working on the development of the draft IEC 60601-1, edition 3.2 (3rd edition + Amendment 2).

Eisner Safety Consultants has helped countless clients thru the Regulatory and Product Safety maze over our 22 year history of the company. Leo has over 30 years experience in product safety and 24 years experience in the medical device industry. Leo ran the Compliance Engineering Group at Karl Storz and was a Senior Product Safety engineer at TÜV Product Service prior to starting Eisner Safety Consultants. Leo has worked as a Notified Body auditor and technical reviewer for TÜV Product Service/SÜD, NSAI, and is currently a technical reviewer for Pre-Safe (Joint venture between NEMKO & DNV). We provide assistance with U.S., Canadian, European, & other international regulations. Learn more about our services we offer.

ABOUT FDA CDRH
In keeping with our mission, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is responsible for protecting and promoting the public health. We assure that patients and have timely and continued access to safe, effective, and high-quality medical devices and safe radiation-emitting products. We provide consumers, patients, their caregivers, and providers with understandable and accessible science-based information about the products we oversee. We facilitate medical device innovation by advancing regulatory science, providing industry with predictable, consistent, transparent, and efficient regulatory pathways, and assuring consumer confidence in devices marketed in the U.S.

We seek to continually improve our effectiveness in fulfilling our mission by planning strategically and regularly monitoring our progress.

• Recognition and Withdrawal of Voluntary Consensus Standards: Draft Guidance
• Appropriate Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards in Premarket Submissions for Medical Devices : Final Guidance

Podcast on Standards & FDA’s Release of these Guidance Documents

FDA’s Captain Scott Colburn and Leo Eisner of Eisner Safety Consultants did a podcast with Jon Speer of Greenlight Guru on Standards Development of the IEC 60601 Series and these recently released Guidance documents. Listen to this conversation…

Some of items of note with the Final FDA Guidance include:

• FDA can now Recognize a standard and place on the Recognized Consensus Standards db prior to a formal Federal Register updates
• Declaration of Conformity (DOC) to follow requirements of ISO 17050-1 or as specified in the Final Guidance in section IV. A. (1)
• DOC process different for Consensus Standards that are horizontal, process-oriented, or that include choices relating to test methods, test selection, or have guidelines that apply to a broad range of device types and safety issues then FDA recommends submitters follow ISO 17050-2 – Supplier’s DOC – Supporting Documentation per section IV. A. (2) of the Final Guidance

IEC 60601-1, edition 3.2 (draft) and it’s collateral standards (IEC 60601-1-XX) are being updated and Leo discusses why this is happening, the timing and some of the impacts on manufacturers and design houses in this podcast.

FDA Guidance Documents – Additional Information

The draft guidance will be open for public comments and suggestions for 60 days at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket Number: FDA-2018-D-2936.

The Appropriate Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards final guidance describes the appropriate use and documentation of consensus standards for premarket submissions and how FDA staff intends to rely on consensus standards during the review process. Appropriate use of voluntary consensus standards can reduce requests from FDA staff for additional information to address issue(s) the standard was intended to address.  This guidance provides further clarity and explanation about the regulatory framework, policies, and practices regarding the appropriate utilization of consensus standards for premarket submissions.:”

Webinar about the Appropriate Use Final Guidance:

FDA will be hosting a Webinar on Thursday, October 25th, 2018. The webinar will be for manufacturers & others interested in learning more about the Appropriate Use final guidance. No registration is required.

• Time: 1:00 – 2:00pm EST (To ensure you are connected, dial-in prior to the start of the webinar)
• To hear the presentation and ask questions:
  Dial: 800-475-0481, International Callers Dial: 1-517-308-9467; Conference Number: 8090070; Passcode: 2387655
• To view the slide presentation during the webinar: https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=PWXW8090070&p=2387655&t=c
• Following the webinar, a transcript, audio recording, and slides will be available at: http://www.fda.gov/CDRHWebinar. The slide presentation will also be available at this site on the morning of the webinar.

Need help sorting out the proper medical device standards that apply to your device submission for the US, Canada, EU or elsewhere? Contact Leo “the IEC 60601 Guy” Eisner to help you thru this process at Leo at EisnerSafety dot com or schedule a call with Leo.

Medical Electrical Standards are constantly being changed and evolving and the amount of changes seems to be accelerating. All too often I hear clients complain that they didn’t know about a standard until way too late in the process and have had to redesign their product to meet regulatory requirements.

So how do you stay up-to-date on all these changes? Are you considering the implication of these standards when putting together your regulatory strategy? Do you know what standards are coming down the line and how they may impact your product design? Are these standards harmonized in different markets? Does your test lab always know what versions of standards you need to test too?

If you have a medical electrical device or a software as a medical device and your answer to any one or more of these questions is NO then this free 90 minute webinar is for you.

Take Aways from this Webinar:

• What medical electrical and related standards are being updated now and how they interact with each other.
• What is the schedule for the IEC 60601 Amendment Projects and what other standards (i.e. ISO 14971, IEC 62366-1, IEC 62304) will impact the project?
• Overview of the recently released Wireless Coexistence Standards for US.
• Why you may need to redesign your product to meet the EMC Standard IEC 60601-1-2:2014 (4th Ed.).
• How does testing under the CB Scheme impact your testing and regulatory strategies?
• Resources to keep track of standards from both a regulatory and standards development perspective

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Medical Device Executives
• QA/RA Professionals at all levels
• Compliance Engineers
• Quality Engineers
• Design Engineers
• Project Management Engineers
• Senior Staff involved in management reviews per ISO 13485 for the standards update section

If you want to learn more about the IEC 60601-1 certification process you can read an article on the greenlight.guru blog of a presentation I gave awhile back on this process.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

This webinar is being lead by me (Leo Eisner), “The 60601-1 Guy”, founder and principal consultant at Eisner Safety Consultants and moderated by Jon Speer of greenlight guru.

Leo is a licensed professional engineer in safety engineering, a certified Quality System lead auditor, an expert in product safety for medical electrical devices (IEC 60601 series of standards) and an expert in CE marking for the medical device EU Directives.

Eisner Safety Consultants has helped countless clients thru the Product Safety and Regulatory maze over the 20 year history of the company. Leo has 30 years experience in product safety. Leo ran the Compliance Engineering Group at Karl Storz and was a Senior Product Safety engineer at TÜV Product Service.