MEDOLLA, Italy — Until 11 days ago, this district in northern Italy was renowned as the home of some of the world’s leading manufacturers of disposable medical devices used for dialysis, transfusion and surgery.

Then the earth shook. First on May 20, and then again nine days later, on Tuesday, when a second earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks reduced this industrial area to a wasteland of closed factories and collapsed warehouses.

“It’s all so frustrating,” Antonio Petralia said as he stood near the closed gate of Eurosets, a midsize company that makes medical devices, including for heart and orthopedic surgery. Eurosets, where Mr. Patralia is scientific technical director, was relatively unscathed in the first quake and had received approval to resume production. “We are Back!” its Web site proclaimed, telling customers, prematurely, it turned out, that the earthquake ordeal was over.

Tuesday’s quake killed 17 people, and it left as many as 14,000 people living in makeshift tent camps or sleeping in cars. Beyond that, though, concerns are turning to the grave economic uncertainties for this corner of Emilia-Romagna, an area that is one of Italy’s economic powerhouses.