IMMUNOTOXICITY OF MEDICAL DEVICES

Determination of the ability of a medical device to interact with the immune system currently involves assessment of the immunogenic potenti al and biocompatibility of the device or an extract of the device. How ever, implants are often in the body for extended periods of time and/ or are placed by a surgical procedure that in and of itself will gener ate an acute inflammatory response, This symposium discussed studies t hat have been performed to evaluate the immunogenicity of various devi ces consisting of several different compositions (i.e., silicone, meta ls, and latex) in contact with different anatomical sites, the ability of a device to modulate an inflammatory response generated by a surgi cal procedure or trauma, and the response of the body to a material le ft in place for extended periods of time, This symposium brought toget her scientists from many different disciplines to begin to identify an d fill in the gaps in this area. (C) 1997 Society of Toxicology.