The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed this document to describe relevant information that should be included in test report summaries, test protocols and complete test reports for non-clinical bench performance testing provided in a premarket submission (i.e., premarket approval (PMA) applications, humanitarian device exemption (HDE) applications, premarket notification (510(k)) submissions, investigational device exemption (IDE) applications, and De Novo requests).

For the purpose of this document, non-clinical bench performance testing is defined as performance testing, performed by either a device manufacturer or a third party testing facility (e.g., test laboratory), which encompasses all bench testing and will be dependent upon the specifics of the actual device or device type. Non-clinical bench performance testing includes, but is not limited to: mechanical and biological engineering performance (such as fatigue, wear, tensile strength, compression, burst pressure); bench tests using ex vivo, in vitro, and in situ animal or human tissue; and animal carcass or human cadaveric testing.

Non-clinical bench performance testing excludes biocompatibility evaluation, reprocessing or sterilization validation, human factors, software verification and validation, and computational modeling because relevant information on these assessments are detailed in associated guidance documents. Test reports for clinical studies, animal studies, and studies evaluating the performance characteristics of in vitro diagnostic devices are also excluded from the scope of this document.