![Why so many Catheters Recalled?](/images/articles2/catheter4-surgury-article.jpg)
But what are the chances of a patient reporting an adverse event, given that the balloon catheter has been slapped with a Class 1 recall? The FDA defines this category as “ a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” Over 1,900 devices manufactured between Feb. 13 and July 18, 2017, and distributed between Feb. 24 and July 31, 2017, were recalled in the U.S., according to the agency. The amount of catheter recalls over the past few years is staggering: topping the biggest medical device recall in 2016 (according to medtechchina was Cook Medical's Single Lumen Central Venous Catheter Sets and Trays; Single Lumen Pressure Monitoring Sets and Trays; Femoral Artery Pressure Monitoring Catheter Sets and Trays; Radial Artery Pressure Monitoring Catheter Sets and Trays. And last October Vascular Solutions recalled more than 15,000 catheters.
Why are so many catheters recalled?
READ MORE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS LEGAL NEWS
But liability has yet to be definitively determined: At what point during manufacture have the catheter defects occurred? One law firm, Chandler Mathis Zivley, says that, “Investigators are now looking into the possibility that corners have been cut in attempts to streamline costs, resulting in products that are less sturdy and more prone to fail during use. One aspect of the investigation is focused on whether having products manufactured offshore, in an attempt to improve efficiency and lower costs, has resulted in inadequate testing and insufficient supervision that may underlie the problems.” Stay tuned…