Infusion pumps are used in hospitals and nursing homes to deliver nutrients or medications to people in hospitals or nursing homes. One brand, the Colleague infusion pumps made by Baxter International, has been recalled after the company failed to fix problems with battery failures and software errors.
According to an article in the New York Times, the defective pumps have been linked to more than 56,000 complaints of injuries, deaths, and malfunctions.
Although the Colleague pumps haven’t been sold since 2005, the FDA reports that there may be as many as 200,000 pumps still in use. Now, Baxter is ordered to recall and destroy all remaining Colleague Volumetric infusion pumps.
This is a positive step for patients, but we can’t help but wonder how many additional people have been harmed while Baxter delayed taking appropriate action. The FDA has also begun an initiative to improve the safety and effectiveness of all infusion pumps. To read more about these developments, see the Q&A guide written by the FDA: Infusion Pump Recall Q&A.
If you know someone who has been injured by an infusion pump and want to discuss your legal options, feel free to call the lawyers of HensonFuerst at 1-800-4-LAW-MED. If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.
