VAPR 3 ELECTROSURGICAL SYSTEM AND VAPR LD AND LP SUCTION ELECTRODES
K041135 · Depuy Mitek, A Johnson & Johnson Company · HRX · May 10, 2004 · Orthopedic
Device Facts
Record ID
K041135
Device Name
VAPR 3 ELECTROSURGICAL SYSTEM AND VAPR LD AND LP SUCTION ELECTRODES
Applicant
Depuy Mitek, A Johnson & Johnson Company
Product Code
HRX · Orthopedic
Decision Date
May 10, 2004
Decision
SESE
Submission Type
Special
Regulation
21 CFR 888.1100
Device Class
Class 2
Attributes
Therapeutic
Indications for Use
The VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System, when used with a VAPR Electrode, is intended for resection, ablation, excision of soft tissue, hemostasis of blood vessels and coagulation of soft tissues in patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, andle, elbow and wrist. The VAPR LD and LP Suction Electrodes, when used with the VAPR Electrosurgical System, are intended for resection, ablation, excision of soft tissue, hemostasis of blood vessels and coagulation of soft tissues in patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, andle, elbow and wrist.
Device Story
VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System comprises generator, handpiece, cable, electrodes, and footswitch; designed for soft tissue ablation, contouring, cutting, and hemostasis during arthroscopic procedures. LD and LP Suction Electrodes integrate with system to remove bubbles from operating site during activation. Operated by surgeons in clinical/OR settings. System transforms electrical energy into RF output for tissue interaction; output visualized by surgeon via arthroscope to guide resection/coagulation. Clinical benefit includes precise tissue management and improved visibility via suction functionality.
Clinical Evidence
Bench testing only. Validation testing performed to support device modifications and confirm performance characteristics against predicate standards.
Technological Characteristics
Electrosurgical system utilizing RF energy for tissue ablation/coagulation. Components include generator, handpiece, cable, and suction-enabled electrodes. System operates via standard electrosurgical principles for cutting/coagulation. Design complies with 21 CFR 820.30 design controls.
Indications for Use
Indicated for patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow, and wrist for soft tissue resection, ablation, excision, hemostasis, and coagulation.
Regulatory Classification
Identification
An arthroscope is an electrically powered endoscope intended to make visible the interior of a joint. The arthroscope and accessories also is intended to perform surgery within a joint.
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# MAY 1 0 2004
## 510(k) Summary
Page 1 of 2
# VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System and VAPR LD SUCTION and LP SUCTION Electrodes
KO 41135
| Submitter's Name and<br>Address: | DePuy Mitek<br>a Johnson & Johnson company<br>249 Vanderbilt Avenue<br>Norwood, MA 02062 |
|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Contact Person | Ruth C. Forstadt<br>Project Management Lead, Regulatory Affairs<br>DePuy Mitek<br>a Johnson & Johnson company<br>249 Vanderbilt Avenue<br>Norwood, MA 02062<br>Telephone: 781-251-3188<br>Facsimile: 781-278-9578<br>e-mail: rcforstad@ethus.jnj.com |
| Name of Medical Device | Classification Name: Electrosurgical cutting and coagulating device<br>and accessories<br>Common/Usual Name: Electrosurgical System and Electrodes<br>Proprietary Name: VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System, VAPR LD<br>SUCTION and LP SUCTION Electrodes |
| Substantial Equivalence | VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System is substantially equivalent to theVAPR<br>II Electrosurgical System (K002402, 8/31/2000).<br><br>The VAPR LD Suction Electrode is substantially equivalent to the<br>VAPR 2.3 Side Effect Electrode (K992876, 9/24/1999) and the VAPR<br>3.5 Suction Electrode (K002422, 8/31/2000)<br><br>The VAPR LP Suction Electrode is substantially equivalent to the<br>VAPR LD Suction Electrode, a modification to the VAPR 2.3 Side<br>Effect Electrode (K992876, 9/24/1999) and the VAPR 3.5 Suction<br>Electrode (K002422, 8/31/2000). |
| Device Classification | Electrosurgical cutting and coagulating device and accessories have<br>been classified as Class II, GEI (21 CFR 878.4400). |
| Device Description | VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System is designed to provide soft tissue<br>ablation (vaporization), contouring, cutting and hemostasis of blood |
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Page 2 of 2
vessels during arthroscopic surgical procedures. The components of the system include a generator, handpiece and cable, electrodes, and footswitch.
The VAPR LD and LP Suction Electrodes are soft tissue ablation and dessication devices intended for use with the VAPR System. They extend the utility of the system by removing bubbles created during activation from the operating site.
The VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System, when used with a VAPR Electrode, is intended for resection, ablation, excision of soft tissue, hemostasis of blood vessels and coagulation of soft tissues in patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, andle, elbow and wrist.
The VAPR LD SUCTION and LP SUCTION Electrodes, when used with the VAPR Electrosurgical System, are intended for resection, ablation, excision of soft tissue, hemostasis of blood vessels and coagulation of soft tissues in patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, andle, elbow and wrist.
In support of the 510(k), Mitek has provided certification of compliance to 21 CFR 820.30 Design Control requirements, descriptions of Mitek's subcontractor Design Control and Risk Analysis procedures, and the results of validation testing (performance testing) for the device modification.
Based on the Indications for Use, technological characteristics and safety and performance testing, the VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System and VAPR LD and LP Suction Electrodes have been shown to be substantially equivalent to predicate devices under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
Indications for Use
#### Safety and Performance
ecial 510(k) /APR 3, LD and LP Suction Electrodes 70
CONFIDENTIAL
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Image /page/2/Picture/1 description: The image is a seal for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The seal is circular and contains the words "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES - USA" around the perimeter. In the center of the seal is a stylized image of a bird or other winged creature.
MAY 1 0 2004
Food and Drug Administration 9200 Corporate Boulevard Rockville MD 20850
Mrs. Ruth C. Forstadt Project Management Lead, Regulatory Affairs DePuy Mitek 249 Vanderbilt Avenue Norwood, Massachusetts 02062
Re: K041135
Trade/Device Name: VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System Regulation Number: 21 CFR 878.4400, 21 CFR 888.1100 Regulation Name: Electrosurgical cutting and coagulation device and accessories Arthroscope Regulatory Class: II Product Code: GEI, HRX Dated: April 29, 2004 Received: April 30, 2004
Dear Ms Forstadt:
We have reviewed your Section 510(k) premarket notification of intent to market the device we nave revea your your we determined the device is substantially equivalent (for the indications for use stated in the enclosure) to legally marketed predicate devices marketed in interstate for use stated in the encrease , 1976, the enactment date of the Medical Device Amendments, or to devices that have been reclassified in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, de needs marre neen rollated not require approval of a premarket approval application (PMA). You may, therefore, market the device, subject to the general controls provisions of the Act. The r ou may, mererere, mains of the Act include requirements for annual registration, listing of devices, good manufacturing practice, labeling, and prohibitions against misbranding and adulteration.
If your device is classified (see above) into either class II (Special Controls) or class III (PMA), it may be subject to such additional controls. Existing major regulations affecting your device can may or subject to outsil Regulations, Title 21, Parts 800 to 898. In addition, FDA may publish further announcements concerning your device in the Federal Register.
Please be advised that FDA's issuance of a substantial equivalence determination does not mean I hat FDA has made a determination that your device complics with other requirements of the Act or any Federal statutes and regulations administered by other Federal agencies. You must or uny i ederal station and including, but not limited to: registration and listing (21 CFR Part 807); labeling (21 CFR Part 801); good manufacturing practice requirements as set Of K in the quality systems (QS) regulation (21 CFR Part 820); and if applicable, the electronic form in and ation control provisions (Sections 531-542 of the Act); 21 CFR 1000-1050.
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Page 2 - Mrs. Ruth C. Forstadt
This letter will allow you to begin marketing your device as described in your Section 510(k) I mo letet notification. The FDA finding of substantial equivalence of your device to a legally premaince no licate device results in a classification for your device and thus, permits your device to proceed to the market.
If you desire specific advice for your device on our labeling regulation (21 CFR Part 801), please contact the Office of Compliance at (301) 594-4659. Also, please note the regulation entitled, "Misbranding by reference to premarket notification" (21CFR Part 807.97). You may obtain other general information on your responsibilities under the Act from the Division of Small Manufacturers, International and Consumer Assistance at its toll-free number (800) 638-2041 or (301) 443-6597 or at its Internet address http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/dsma/dsmamain.html
Sincerely yours,
Miriam C. Provost
Celia M. Witten, Ph.D., M.D. Director Division of General, Restorative and Neurological Devices Office of Device Evaluation Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Enclosure
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### Indications for Use
510(k) Number (if known): KO41135
VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System Device Name:_ VAPR LD and LP Suction Electrodes
Indications For Use:
The VAPR 3 Electrosurgical System, when used with a VAPR Electrode, is intended for The +AI It's Licettoourgious By of tissue, hemostasis of blood vessels and coagulation of soft tissues in patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, andle, elbow and wrist.
The VAPR LD and LP Suction Electrodes, when used with the VAPR Electrosurgical System, The VAI K LD and EI- Cablation, excision of soft tissue, hemostasis of blood vessels and are intention of soft tissues in patients requiring arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, andle, elbow and wrist.
Prescription Use x_
AND/OR
Over-The-Counter Use
(Part 21 CFR 801 Subpart D)
(21 CFR 807 Subpart C)
(PLEASE DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE-CONTINUE ON ANOTHER PAGE IF NEEDED)
Concurrence of CDRH, Office of Device Evaluation (ODE)
Miriam C. Provost
(Division Sign-Off) Division of General, Restorative, and Neurological Devices
510(k) Number_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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CONFIDENTIAL
ﻢ ﮐﮯ
Two short videos show you everything — or skip straight to the written tutorial if you'd rather read. You can reopen this any time from the Tutorial button in the top bar.
Part 1 — Search, results, and everyday workflows 16 min
Part 2 — Embeddings: the galaxy map 3 min
1. Search: exact and fuzzy
Type a phrase like "coronary artery calcification" into the search box. You get two kinds of results. Exact results match the literal phrase — prefix searches work ("coronary artery calcificati") but suffix searches do not. Fuzzy results match on the meaning and intent of your phrase rather than the exact words, and are sorted by relevance score. Hover over the Exact or Fuzzy badge on any row to see exactly why it matched.
Use the checkboxes above the results to narrow: SaMD keeps only software-only devices, AI / ML keeps only devices with AI.
Exact vs. fuzzy search: what's the difference?
Exact matches on the literal phrase (prefix search works, suffix does not). Fuzzy matches on the meaning and intent of the phrase rather than the exact words. Hover over the badge on any row to see why it matched.
You search "coronary artery calcification" and want only software devices with AI. What two filters do you apply?
Narrow by SaMD (software-only devices), then narrow by AI/ML (devices with AI).
2. The results table
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Where do you find a device's intended use without opening the PDF?
Scroll right in the search results table. The intended use column is extracted for you; no need to dig into the 510(k) summary PDF.
What does the AI Performance sub-table show, and why is it useful?
Output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, development dataset description, and test dataset description. It's the same format we use for regulatory strategy output and Fast 510(k) input, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. AI-generated but reliable in practice.
3. Judging fuzzy relevance
Fuzzy results trail off in relevance as you scroll. Use three signals to decide how far down to go: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether your target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, you're past the relevant zone. A top hit with a low score (~0.4) and a stretched explanation is a hint the closest predicates are far away — the project may be headed for De Novo. Note the fuzzy search is a pattern match: it doesn't handle negation ("not") well, and hardware devices can appear — filter by SaMD/AI ML to cut them.
How do you judge how far down fuzzy search results to go?
Use the relevancy signals: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether the target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, results are trailing off in relevancy.
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Click a device name to open its detail page: device facts on the left, a chat window on the right. Ask something like "Describe the training data". The answer carries little citation bubbles — click one to jump to the highlighted passage in the source PDF, so you can verify every AI answer against the document. There's also a Download PDF button for sharing.
How do you verify an AI chat answer on the device detail page?
Click the citation bubbles to jump to the relevant highlight in the source document.
Reading rule for every project: how many summaries do you read in full?
At least the three most relevant 510(k) or De Novo summaries, in full. After that, use targeted chat questions to confirm your memory quickly. The tool supports this professional habit — it doesn't replace it.
5. Side-by-side comparison
Select multiple rows in the results table (aim for under ~10), then open the PDF Viewer tab. Ask one question — it goes to all selected devices in parallel, each with citations. This is the fastest way to compare and contrast devices: training data, PCCP scope, how they handled adding new scanners, and so on.
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Select multiple devices, open the PDF viewer tab, and ask one question (e.g., "Describe the training data"). It queries all selected devices simultaneously with citations, so you can compare and contrast quickly.
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Select the rows, go to the Collections tab, and create a labeled collection (e.g., "Cobb Angle Project"). You can reload the selection anytime and carry it into the PDF viewer and other tabs that support selections.
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What can you do from the regulations tree view?
Browse product codes and regulation numbers, read the identification text and special controls, browse sibling product codes, open device PDFs on the right, and search by product code or regulation number at the top of the tree.
8. Chart view
Click Show Chart and segment by regulation number (or product code) to see which regulations dominate your result set. Clicking a regulation takes you into the regulations tree. Great for spotting that most matches are, say, hardware laparoscopic devices — a cue to go back and filter.
How do you see which regulations dominate a search result set?
Click "Show Chart" and segment by Regulation Number. Clicking a regulation takes you to the regulations tree.
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Open the Predicates tab for a family-tree view of predicate relationships. Click a node to trace its parents and children; selections from search carry over pre-selected. Commonly predicated devices are worth reading — a lot of people predicated them for a reason. The visual lineage is also handy on client calls, e.g. to show how a predicate family evolved and justify why your predicate still holds.
In the predicate graph, why are commonly predicated devices worth reading?
A lot of people predicated them for a reason. Clicking a node traces parents and children, and selections from search carry over pre-selected.
10. Embeddings: the galaxy map
The Embeddings tab plots every matching document in a 2-D "galaxy map" where semantically similar devices cluster together. Hover or click clusters to explore, and let AI label the clusters for you. Embeddings beat product codes for grouping: two devices can carry different product codes (LLZ vs. QIH) yet do the same thing — the embedding captures the meaning of the intended use and device story. This is also exactly how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) works under the hood, and it makes a great visual on client calls.
Try it yourself
Head to the search page and work through a few of these AI/ML fuzzy searches to build intuition: perivascular fat on CT · aortic valve calcification opportunistic screening on noncontrast CT · breast cancer prediction on digital pathology slides · autism detection · gestational age prediction · a hearing aid that can also detect a pulse · foundation model based analysis of ECG · large language models · penetration test. Watch how the relevance scores, intended use, and AI Performance tables tell you when results stop being meaningful.