Product Liability
FDA warns of a battery-depletion problem in some pacemakers
Early May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning about a battery-depletion problem in some Medtronic pacemakers. Although no recall was issued, the FDA warns patients who use certain models of Medtronic pacemakers to be watchful for signs of a low battery. How are some pacemakers malfunctioning? The batteries in some Medtronic…
Read MoreThousands of Kids Injured Each Year from Infant Walkers
We’re all familiar with baby and infant walkers – those wheeled contraptions that let babies roll around using their legs before they’re able to walk. If you’re reading this, you probably used one yourself when you were little, or maybe one of your kids did. However, the authors of a recent study urge anyone that…
Read MoreLimbrel Capsules Linked to Potentially Deadly Health Problems
On December 5, 2017, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that Limbrel capsules, intended for the treatment of osteoarthritis, be recalled. The FDA advisory concerning Limbrel, which is manufactured by Primus Pharmaceuticals, stated that the product has been connected to incidents of liver injury and other serious health issues. The agency recommended that consumers immediately…
Read MoreWhich Automakers Saw the Biggest Recalls in 2017?
For many, 2016 was the Year of the Recall. Takata’s defective airbags accounted for much of that total, but almost every major automaker faced a recall that year. As of December 20th, however, 2017 had seen its fair share of recalls, too: 28,146,661 recalled vehicles, to be exact. It falls far short of the 52,985,779…
Read MoreMedical Device Tracking Needed to Protect Consumers
When your car has a recall, you might get a letter in the mail, or an email, or even a personal phone call from the dealership where you purchased it. If a food in your fridge is recalled, you can check your receipt and the tracking information on the product itself to see if it…
Read MoreSorin Stöckert 3T Heater Cooler Devices are Endangering Heart Bypass Patients
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently telling cardiologists and hospitals that heater-cooler devices used during heart surgery pose risk for serious medical complications. The dangers exist because many of these devices may have been contaminated in the manufacturing process. The risks include life-endangering infections, weight loss, fatigue, unexplained fever, aches, and…
Read MoreWhat the Sorin 3T Contamination Debacle Means for Infected Patients
We recently wrote about the Sorin 3T Heater-Cooler System, a medical device used in invasive open chest surgeries that was the subject of a recent investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency found that the device had been contaminated during the manufacturing process with a devastating type of bacteria know as…
Read MoreIkea’s Failure to Meet Voluntary Safety Standards Resulted in the Largest Furniture Recall in US History
Ikea, the flat-pack furniture behemoth with a flimsy object in every home, announced the recall of 29 million chests and dressers in a deal with federal regulators. The recalled units do not conform to voluntary safety standards for furniture, which suggest that extended drawers can carry up to 50lbs of pressure before the unit begins…
Read MoreOhio Dole Plant Will Be Center of Listeriosis Lawsuit
On January 21, Dole temporarily suspended operations at their Springfield plant. Six days later, the company issued a voluntary recall of all packaged products produced there. The next day, the US Food and Drug Administration confirmed the presence of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes at the processing facility. The contamination resulted in a small but widespread…
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