Reliability Isn’t a Spec Line: What It Means for Medical Device Components
January 12, 2026
Designing Reliability Into Medical Device Components
When developing medical devices, reliability is often discussed late in the process, once prototypes are built and validation is underway. Industry veterans, however, know that long-term performance is largely determined much earlier, during component selection and system design. Decisions made at this stage can either support consistent operation for years or introduce variability that becomes difficult to correct later.
Pressure regulators and pneumatic components are a common example. On paper, many options appear equivalent, meeting the same specifications and operating ranges. In practice, differences in materials, mechanical design, and performance stability over time can significantly affect how a device behaves once it is deployed in real clinical environments.
Marsh Medical has supported medical device manufacturers across life-critical applications where reliability cannot be assumed. From ventilators and anesthesia systems to sterilizers and diagnostic equipment, long-term performance depends on components that maintain stable output through repeated cycling, cleaning, and continuous operation. Reliability, in these systems, is not defined by initial test results alone.
By focusing on proven designs, stable materials, and application-driven engineering, Marsh Medical helps OEM teams select pressure regulators and pneumatic components designed to perform consistently over the life of the device. This approach reduces the risk of performance drift, simplifies validation, and supports predictable operation in regulated medical environments.
Rather than treating reliability as a specification to be verified, Marsh Medical works with manufacturers to design reliability into the system from the start. The result is greater confidence during development, smoother approvals, and medical devices that perform as intended long after they leave the lab.
