Devices that are used to measure vital statistics in order to allow doctors to make an accurate diagnosis have been recalled due to a risk that the results shown will be incorrect.
The items in question are called Elecsys Troponin I and Elecsys Troponin I STAT Immunoassays. These products, which were distributed by Roche Diagnostics Operations, are supposed to allow doctors to gauge the amount of heart damage in an individual. Being able to accurately determine the degree of damage can assist a physician with diagnosing a heart attack.
The problem with these recalled items is that the test results that doctors are looking at might show inappropriately low levels of Troponin I with certain plasma samples. In fact, it could show levels 50% lower than the actual amount of Troponin I. This could lead to death or a number of adverse consequences for the patient.
The recall affects lots 163176 and 163177. Affected customers should have received a letter about the issue after March 12. That letter was entitled “URGENT MEDICAL DEVICE REMOVAL.” The product should be discontinued and the instructions of the letter heeded. Doctors and patients alike are being asked to report to Medwatch should an injurious incident occur.
I tried as a personal injury lawyer in Fresno to break this very technical recall down in a way that’s easy to follow. The truth is, medical device recalls are some of the most important out there, and we shouldn’t refrain from reporting them just because the jargon is challenging. I hope as a San Francisco personal injury attorney that the technical nature of this recall doesn’t prevent news outlets from reporting the issue.
Another recall to share with you this afternoon, this one involving an item that is critical to ensuring lives are preserved.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced a Class I recall of a product known as the Heartmate II, made by Thoratec Corp. A Class I recall is the most serious form of recalls that there is, and is typically issued on items that might pose an immediate threat.
The Heartmate II is a heart pump that needs to be placed in a patient through surgery. The problem has to do with the instructions that surgeons are required to follow when installing the pump. Apparently, an important step was missing from instructions, and an improper procedure resulting from these missed instructions could lead to severe side effects or death.
A new label will contain an updated caution statement. Revised instructions have been released, and these instructions make clearer how a surgeon is to secure the bend relief component to what’s known as the outflow graft. Failure to properly secure these two parts can result in the aforementioned severe consequences.
Interestingly, Thoratec is not required to stop marketing the product.
As a personal injury lawyer in San Francisco, I’m sorry to see a product meant to save lives potentially do the opposite. If someone did have their pump installed incorrectly, then as a Riverside personal injury attorney I sincerely hope that he or she can get the item fixed as quickly as possible.
Nearly 60,000 medicine bottle storage containers have been recalled by their importer, Locker Brand, a company based out of Henderson, Nevada.
The item in question is basically a locker that is used to store prescription medicine bottles so they can’t be tampered with or taken by someone who doesn’t have the code. The product is orange with a white top, and looks almost as if someone adjoined four bulbous pill bottle containers side by side and slapped a three digit combination lock to the front.
The recalled units were made between May 2010 and December 2010. They were sold at Walgreens, CVS, and Bed Bath & Beyond stores, plus Locker Brand’s website, between June 2010 and October 2011. They retailed for around $15.
Concerns with the product stem from the container opening while locked if a person simply applies pressure to the latch. This might give someone other than the person taking the pills improper access to the medicines contained inside.
Owners have been advised to cease usage of the product and contact Locker Brand to receive a return mailer. Once they have the product, Rx Locker will issue a free refund.
As a personal injury lawyer in San Jose, I know how uncontrolled medication can be potentially hazardous to a person’s health. Items like this keep that medication out of the wrong person’s hands, and it’s my hope as a Riverside personal injury lawyer that this issue gets fixed before someone is injured.
A nasal decongestant has been recalled by Insight Pharmaceuticals after it was found the spray may contain bacteria, according to recent news sources.
About 34,092 bottles of Nostrilla are subject to recall. The product, which contains oxymetazoline, is used to relieve nasal suffering from colds.
The bacteria is called Burkholderia cepacia and is especially dangerous to those with weakened immunse systems or chronic lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis.
The product was distributed all over the U.S. and comes in a small, .5 ounce plastic bottle with an expiration day of May 2014.
If you purchased this product, you can return it for a full refund.
As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, if you or a loved one has been injured because of a contaminated or defective medical product or device, I suggest you seek medical attention right away. It can also be just as important to contact a product liability lawyer as soon as possible because you may be entitled to monetary compensation as a result of getting injured because of a defective or recalled product. You should also remember that the longer you take to contact someone about your case the more chance you have to lose evidence. Please visit this blog often to stay informed of new drug recalls and warnings.
According to recent news reports, Johnson & Johnson is hiring an outside firm to handle the recall of its DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant.
This is an unusual move, as companies typically handle these matters with their in-house counsel and rely on the patient’s doctor to determine if a replacement is necessary. However, this decision means that the doctors chosen by the company Johnson & Johnson hired will determine if a replacement is necessary. That company is Broadspire Services Inc. While a doctor provided by the firm can’t override a personal physician, it does mean that funds can be withheld from paying for a revision surgery if the firm’s doctor does not believe a replacement is required.
Patients and lawyers are claiming that this move will limit Johnson & Johnson’s financial responsibility as well as patients’ access to replacement hips. DePuy officials maintain that the outside hire is simply to ensure that funds are distributed to those who require replacements directly related to the recall, and not for another reason such as a fall.
As a DePuy hip recall lawyer, I find this choice atypical. I believe this company needs to be held responsible for their actions and would like to provide legal services to anyone who has experienced pain and suffering as a result of this hip replacement. It is my hope that everyone who has been affected by this recall has access to medical treatment and revision surgery. If you have received a hip replacement, regardless of whether or not you’ve experienced pain, I urge you to contact a hip replacement recall lawyer. Statistics have shown that a majority of the DePuy hip replacements will fail, and the law limits the amount of time in which a claim can be filed. Action is necessary now to protect your rights in the future.
The lawsuits against ASR hip replacement manufacturers Johnson & Johnson and DePuy Orthopaedics are continually being filed, according to recent news sources.
Over 350 cases were filed in a Ohio Federal court in August alone. All of the cases about the metal-on-metal implants are tied to one case undergoing pre-trial proceedings in North Ohio. In order to eliminate delays and to promote judicial efficiency, Judge David Katz allowed the patients to consolidate their cases in a multi-district litigation. Texas has also adopted a similar policy toward case consolidation in order to avoid district transfers.
Since the direct filing option was made available in January, more than 1,700 cases have been filed, with 700 in the last two months alone. If you or someone you care about received a DePuy hip replacement, it is strongly recommended that you contact a DePuy ASR recall lawyer. You can contact a DePuy hip recall lawyer at our law firm to talk about protecting your rights. Even if you have not yet experienced symptoms of failure, it’s important to talk to an attorney about your hip replacement as statistics show that the majority of these hip replacements will fail. Remember, the law limits the amount of time you have to file a claim, so act immediately.
Thousands of the ASR hip replacement systems manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and DePuy Orthopaedics have failed, both before and after the recall that was announced in August of 2010. These patients, who experienced pain and disability as a result of the faulty hips, now require painful and obtrusive revisional surgery, years before expected. These victims are holding the manufacturers accountable and have filed claims against Johnson & Johnson and DePuy, seeking damages for the suffering they have endured.
Many of the devices remain implanted in other patients, who have not yet experienced a failure or significant injury as a result of the ASR hip implant. However, the British Orthopaedic Association has issued statistics that show up to 50% of ASR hips fail within six years of implantation. This is an extremely short period, when one considers that other comparative devices last around 15 to 20 years, and sometimes longer.
Those who received an ASR hip but have not experienced failure or complications may be under the impression that they needn’t yet contact a lawyer regarding their implant. However, those patients need to know that many states limit the amount of time in which a person can claim damages. In some states, the time period expires even before the ASR defective hip is replaced. Statistics have shown that a substantial amount of these devices will fail, though many may not have yet. With that in mind, the attorneys at Panish Shea and Boyle urge anyone who has received an ASR hip replacement to speak with a DePuy Hip Recall Lawyer about your case immediately.
The hip replacement recall lawyers at Panish Shea and Boyle are experienced in this matter and are passionate about holding the manufacturers of this product accountable for a product they knew was hazardous for months before making a recall. Contact us right away to include your claim for damages, even if your hip has not yet been replaced. Prompt action is necessary to protect your rights, as the opportunity to do so may pass in the future. As statistics show, more than half of the ASR hips will fail, afflicting patients with unnecessary pain and suffering. Contact a DePuy ASR recall lawyer to help you protect your rights for now and for the future.
