Abstract
The environments in which medical devices are used impose severe constraints on selection of materials, as well as other, more traditional aspects of design such as surface finish, strength and modulus, fabrication and assembly processes, and fastening and sealing. Examples will be given of design of medical durables (emergency room beds, stabilization of spinal fractures), non-invasive medical disposables (syringe assist device, wound dressings) and implantable devices (heart pacemakers, guides for bone and nerve regeneration).