The limited study presented in this paper suggests that laser marking can be deleterious to the fatigue life of a medical device. The use of laser marking is widespread and is, probably, the only commercially viable permanent marking system available. Hence, it is incumbent on medical device designers to document and justify the position of laser marking to ensure that it does not, by pure chance or mishap, become located in a region where high cyclic stresses are experienced. This may not be as simple as it first seems as many implantable medical components may not, actually, be used in the exact configuration they were designed at. This is not misused by the surgeon or clinician; this is a fact which is wholly due to the variability associated with humans and their range of potential ailments. This is particularly true in orthopaedic trauma where, for example, the range of fracture patterns for one particular device can be highly variable.