Here, we are going to discuss with you everything about IEC 60601-1. Right from understanding the types of IEC standards to discussing the evolution of IEC 60601, we will cover it all here.
Standards are considered an integral part of product design & development. Standards are very important in medical device applications.
Some of the most critical standards exist in the medical device industry for ensuring the electrical safety of devices. Millions of electronic devices that produce electricity or work on it, rely on IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) International Standards and Conformity Assessment Systems to perform, fit and work safely together.
The IEC was established in 1906 and is the world’s leading organization for the preparation and publication of International Standards for active and inactive devices. These are collectively known as “electrotechnology.”
Everything About IEC 60601-1
IEC 60601-1 refers to the Basic safety and essential performance of Medical Electrical Equipment and Medical Electric Systems (referred to as ME EQUIPMENT and ME SYSTEMS respectively).
Below, we are going to discuss the different types of standards.
⦿ Primary Standards
⦿ Collateral Standards
⦿ Particular Standards
Primary Standards
⦿ In metrology, primary standard is a standard that is sufficiently accurate and it is not subordinate to or calibrated by other standards.
⦿ The primary standard is formally known as IEC 60601-1 – Medical electrical equipment – Part 1: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance.
⦿ Primary standards are referred to as IEC 60601-1 or simply “60601” and the primary standards are considered as an essential requirement to comply with the standard for introducing new devices and marketing them in different countries.
Collateral Standards
⦿ Collateral standards are applied more selectively than the general requirements, either in terms of the topic they cover or the type of equipment, but they are not specific.
⦿ The “collateral” standards are denoted as IEC 60601-1-x; for example, IEC 60601-1-2 is the EMC collateral standard. Other collateral standards include 60601-1-3 (radiation protection for diagnostic x-ray systems), 60601-1-8 (alarm systems).
Particular Standards
⦿ Particular standards are regarded as equipment-specific standards.
⦿ Particular standards are denoted as IEC 60601-2-x that define specific requirements related to a specific type of products e.g. 60601-2-10 covers the performance of nerve and muscle stimulators.
Evolution of IEC 60601
IEC 60601 has undergone various modifications to match the evolving technology in the medical space.
⦿ The 1st version was released in 1977 (1st edition) and covered the basic safety of active medical devices like MRI, Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator the first artificial heart, etc.
⦿ The 2nd version of the standard was released in 1988 to cover the basic safety requirements of medical devices like smart infusion systems, LASIK surgery, Da Vinci Surgical Instrument X-ray machines, etc.
⦿ The 3rd edition was created to provide safety requirements for medical devices like Nanotechnology, Electrical and Electronic products, insulating materials and systems, etc.
⦿ To overcome the issues that were ambiguous in the 3rd edition, the 3.1 edition was released in 2012. Formally referred to as IEC 60601-1: 2005+AMDI: 2012, this updated standard includes almost 500 changes and clarifications across a spectrum of subjects including essential performance, risk management, mechanical testing, temperature testing, and humidity testing. The amended standard also defines several new specifications for mechanical and electrical hazards.
⦿ The 4th version was released to illustrate the safety requirements of wireless controlled technology like WIFI, Bluetooth PDA devices, etc. The fourth edition deals majorly with “Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) concerns”.Fig 3- Evolution timeline of IEC 60601 by device development
To adapt and comply with the new standard versions, Medical Device Manufacturers conducted a gap assessment between the new and the old standards.
As a result of this assessment, many design-related documents were impacted and had to be updated (taking design control into account).
This is a complex phenomenon and Regulatory Experts can come in handy (Elexes Medical Consulting).
Due to updates in IEC 60601 basic safety standards from 1st edition to 4th edition, medical device manufacturers had to perform the electrical safety testing again.
Further, to stay in compliance with design control requirements (21CFR 820.30 Design control) System requirement specifications, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Hazard Analysis (HA) Design History File (DHF), etc were updated by the Manufacturers.
Global adoption of IEC 60601-1
⦿ Europe
Member countries of the European Union and many other countries in Europe now comply with 3.1 Edition (EN 60601-1 A1:2013) with the adoption of the 4th edition EMC standard (EN 60601-1-2:2015) in effect from December 31, 2018.
⦿ North America
The US and Canada currently require compliance with Edition 3.1 and originally targeted April 1, 2017, for compliance with the changes required by IEC 60601-1-2. This was subsequently amended to December 31, 2018, to harmonize with the EU timeline for its 4th edition adoption.
⦿ Japan
Adopted 3rd edition IEC 60601-1:2005 with Amendment 1 from March 1 2019.
⦿ China
China is currently aligned to the 2nd edition as endorsed by its GB 9706.1- 2007 standard along with a collateral EMC standard YY 0505-2012 effective from January 1, 2014.
⦿ Brazil
Brazil has complied with Edition 3.1 of the standard since September 25, 2015.
⦿ South Korea
South Korea has complied to the 3rd edition since June 1, 2014, for Class 3 & 4 devices, since June 1, 2015, for Class 2, and since June 1, 2016, for Class 1. It transitioned to Edition 3.1 on January 1, 2018.
Looking at the benefits that the medical device manufacturer can provide to the intended users by making the device comply with electrical safety standards, countries across the world are adopting these standards.
Despite the criticism of the complexity that the standard brings, there are huge advantages to complying with these standards.
