Introduction to the MAUDE database.

The Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database represents a reporting system mandated by the Food and Drug Administration for postmarket surveillance. MAUDE has been made into a searchable online database that includes all reported events in which medical devices may have malfunctioned or caused a death or serious injury. For the clinician considering the use of a new medical device, searching the MAUDE database is useful to search for complications not yet reported in the medical literature.