EASSI The European Association of the Surgical Suture Industry
EASSI represents the interests of the European manufacturers of surgical sutures and meshes. EASSI is recognized as the European authority regarding technical questions and standardization of surgical sutures and meshes.
About
The association serves as a platform for information and discussion of the relevant regulations, standards and initiatives in the healthcare sector. EASSI’s main objectives are:
- to represent members’ interests in national and international standardization projects,
- to initiate harmonization of regulations and standards,
- to formulate common positions with regard to matters of EASSI concern.
„High-quality suture material is essential for patient care - we create standards to ensure that it remains high quality in Europe.“
Organisation
Technical Committee
The Technical Committee (TC) is EASSI’s forum for discussion of technical questions regarding sutures, meshes and needles. The TC’s main purpose is to guarantee a high quality level of the medical devices in question by actively monitoring, developing and promoting standards. The Technical Committee is also in charge of observing relevant regulatory developments and formulating EASSI’s position on legislative initiatives.
The Technical Committee currently has the following Working Groups (WG):
WG Medical Device Regulation (MDR)
In March 2021 the group published a Surgical Suture position paper to draw attention to the MDR's obstacles for suture manufacturers.
WG Environment & Sustainability (ES)
WG Standardization of Surgical Meshes (SSM)
- linear tensile strength
- suture pull-out force
- burst strength
- pore size.
WG Needles
Board
2024-2025
Chairman of the Board
Thomas Pfeiffer, SERAG-WIESSNER (GER)
Deputy Chairmen of the Executive Board
Martina Laporte, B. Braun Surgical S. A. (ES)
Maurizio Longo, Assut (IT)
Members of the Executive Board
Alessandra Polo, Johnson & Johnson MEDICAL GmbH (CH)
Marcin Sieczek, CHIRANA T. Injecta (CZ
Head office
General secretary
Administration