Cleared Traditional

SWITCHBLADE (K030890) - FDA 510(k) Clearance

Class II General & Plastic Surgery device cleared through predicate-based substantial equivalence - typically does not require clinical trials.

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Apr 2003
Decision
14d
Days
Class 2
Risk

K030890 is an FDA 510(k) clearance for the SWITCHBLADE. Classified as Electrosurgical, Cutting & Coagulation & Accessories within the GEI classification (a category for electrosurgical cutting and coagulation devices), Class II - Special Controls.

Submitted by Snowden Pencer, Inc. (Tucker, US). The FDA issued a Cleared decision on April 4, 2003 after a review of 14 days - a notably fast clearance cycle.

This device falls under the General & Plastic Surgery FDA review panel, regulated under 21 CFR 878.4400 - the FDA general and plastic surgery device framework. The Traditional 510(k) pathway establishes clearance through substantial equivalence to a legally marketed predicate device, without requiring clinical trial data.

Device pattern: Fast-track predicate clearance. Standard predicate reliance. The short review cycle indicates strong predicate alignment - the FDA found sufficient equivalence without extended technical review.

View all Snowden Pencer, Inc. devices

Submission Details

510(k) Number K030890 FDA.gov
FDA Decision Cleared Substantially Equivalent - Traditional 510(k) (SESE)
Date Received March 21, 2003
Decision Date April 04, 2003
Days to Decision 14 days
Submission Type Traditional
Review Panel General & Plastic Surgery (SU)
Summary Summary PDF
Third-party Review Yes - reviewed by an FDA-accredited third party
Regulatory Context
Review time vs. panel average
101d faster than avg
Panel avg: 115d · This submission: 14d
Pathway characteristics
Predicate-based equivalence. No clinical trials required. Third-party reviewed.

Device Classification

Product Code GEI Electrosurgical, Cutting & Coagulation & Accessories
Device Class Class 2 - Special Controls
CFR Regulation 21 CFR 878.4400
Definition Validated Reprocessing Instructions And Reprocessing Validation Data For This Device Type Must Be Included In A 510(k) Submission If The Device Is Reusable And Has Specific Design Features (please Refer To Table 2 Of 82 Fr 26807, Available At Https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/fr-2017-06-09/pdf/2017-12007.pdf).
What this classification means

Class II devices require demonstration of substantial equivalence to a legally marketed predicate device. This pathway does not require clinical trials - it relies on engineering equivalence and performance data. Most General & Plastic Surgery devices follow this clearance model.

Regulatory Peers - GEI Electrosurgical, Cutting & Coagulation & Accessories

All 570
Devices cleared under the same product code (GEI) and FDA review panel - the closest regulatory comparables to K030890.
CARDIOBLATE BIPOLAR RADIOFREQUENCY SURGICAL ABLATION SYSTEM
K031247 · Medtronic Vascular · Jul 2003
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K031675 · Smith & Nephew, Inc. · Jun 2003
SAPHYRE BIPOLAR ABLATION PROBES
K031371 · Smith & Nephew, Inc. · May 2003
ARTHREX OPES ELECTRODES AND ACCESSORIES
K023986 · Arthrex, Inc. · Dec 2002
AUTOCON II 400 ELECTROSURGICAL GENERATOR
K021467 · KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc. · Nov 2002
COBRA COOLED CARDIAC SURGICAL PROBE, MODEL 1596X
K023291 · Boston Scientific Corp · Oct 2002