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It was reported that during an ureterolithotomy procedure, there was no energy, and the fiber stopped working.The procedure was completed using another fiber.There was no patient complication.After that, the fiber was returned for analysis and the investigation conclude the connector had no light exiting the face, indicating an internal connector fracture.
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Upon receipt of this fiber at our quality assurance laboratory, this device was thoroughly analyzed.Visual inspection of the fiber identified that the fiber was received in one piece and there were no defects to fiber body.The observed fiber tip was found degraded; this is normal degradation of the fiber which occurred through fiber use.The connector shows burn marks on connector face, and no light is passing though.The functional testing identified that there was no aim beam.Based on this information, the reported failure was confirmed; there was no light exiting the connector face.The observed condition of no light exiting the connector can be a result of an internal connector fracture.Fracture within the connector can occur during procedural handling of the fiber during setup, use or reprocessing.This connector fracture can result in an insufficient aiming beam or low laser energy output, up to a complete inability for the fiber to fire.The interaction of the console with the connector having this fracture likely led it to overheat causing the burn marks observed.A device history record (dhr) review indicates the device met all manufacturing specifications, and therefore the failure was unlikely related to manufacturing.The labeling review found that the product ifu states, inspect the fiber for kinks, punctures, fractures, or other damage.If the fiber appears damaged, do not use the fiber; return it to the supplier for replacement and hold the fiber tip to a non-reflective surface, and ensure that a circular red/green spot appears.If the spot is not circular, cleave the fiber.If the spot is weak or not visible, discard the fiber or return it to the supplier for replacement.A risk review was completed and confirmed that the event of fiber stopped working is defined in the risk documentation.Based on review of all information available and analysis results, the conclusion code assigned is cause traced to component failure which indicates expected or random component failure without any design or manufacturing issue.
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