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What if your medical treatment was possibly killing you, and nobody told you?

kshansen said:
Wonder how it's going to work. Is Philips going to contact those who registered for the reacll directly or will it have to go through the DME the machine was purchased through?
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Ken, the answer is "both". Philips will contact you, and they will go thru the DME for the recall.

kshansen said:
see if there is a market for a used machine
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There is a market for the used machine. Ask your DME, Nunn's.
 
I have one of the Philips machines that is included in the recall but have been put on a different machine for unrelated reasons. Just wondering if I should see about getting the recall done on this machine and see if there is a market for a used machine or maybe some place I could donate it?[/QUOTE]
I asked that very question of my supplier and they told me to contact the V.A. In my area.
 
YamadudeXS650C said:
Well, that's the way it goes these days.

Back on June 30th of this year, the FDA announced this:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting people who use Philips Respironics ventilators, BiPAP, and CPAP machines and their health care providers that Philips Respironics has recalled certain devices (see table below) due to potential health risks. The polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam, which is used to reduce sound and vibration in these affected devices, may break down and potentially enter the device’s air pathway. If this occurs, black debris from the foam or certain chemicals released into the device’s air pathway may be inhaled or swallowed by the person using the device.

I somehow missed the news which was covered by the major newspapers.
I found out today on a YouTube video, HaHa.

So I looked further. Phillips has issued this statement:

URGENT: Medical Device Recall
Philips Respironics is voluntarily recalling the below devices due to two (2) issues related to the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam used in Philips Continuous and NonContinuous Ventilators: 1) PE-PUR foam may degrade into particles which may enter the device’s air pathway and be ingested or inhaled by the user, and 2) the PE-PUR foam may off-gas certain chemicals. The foam degradation may be exacerbated by use of unapproved cleaning methods, such as ozone (see FDA safety communication on use of Ozone cleaners), and off-gassing may occur during operation.
These issues can result in serious injury which can be life-threatening, cause permanent impairment, and/or require medical intervention to preclude permanent impairment.
It is recommended that you stop using your equipment and consult your doctor.

I am one of 10 million people just in the US who use CPAP at night to breathe properly and avoid serious health issues including heart disease and stroke. And car accidents (we fall asleep at the wheel).

So, I called the medical equipment company who sold me the machine and instructed me on its use. They were stoic; "We expected the manufacturer to inform you". Phillips did not inform me, like most people, I have read. They sold 30 million of these dangerous machines. I called my doctor who prescribed it. They said they expected the medical supply company to inform me.

Truck drivers who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea are required to use CPAP/Bipap to keep their jobs (It was a truck driver who filed the first class action lawsuit, apparently), and we patients are all electronically monitored constantly as to our nightly follow through. I get a phone call when there is a fluctuation in my CPAP usage. Medical Big Brother.

So, my doctor, the medical equipment company, and my insurance company are all monitoring me, but none of them (all of them knew about the recall) thought to contact me.

I hope this is informative to other CPAP users.
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https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices...-machines-recalled-due-potential-health-risks
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Well damn. I have a Dream one built in '14. Guess it's time to have a discussion with the Health Care Provider.
 
Hi Jeff / All:

I'm just catching up with this thread which I only stumbled across this morning.

I was also a user of a defective Phillips unit. I did get the recall from Phillips a couple of years back - and they have provided a new CPAP unit which is working well and is smaller and much quieter than the original "Respironics" unit that I first got several years ago. I like that fact that it has the humidifier function (you must add distilled water each day) as it keeps my mouth from getting too dry.

I also had the same "medical big-brother" on-line monitoring function, but the notice came through the regular Canada Post mail system and nobody has ever alerted me from the CPAP "monitoring" office (wherever-the-heck that is).

On the positive side, our provincial health plan provides the units and on-going supplies - free of charge - to people who have been prescribed a CPAP by a medical authority such as an MD. You must go through some hoops (a sleep lab study and an assessment by a respirologist etc.) - but from then-on, its all good.

Anyhow, if the person you sleep with tells you that you snore heavily, you should investigate getting a CPAC - it could save your life.

....and by the way, I, personally, do not believe that I snore - but my wife insists that I do sooooo, you know the old saying: "Happy wife, happy life".

Pete

I_dont_snore-dream_im-a-bike.jpg
 
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Hey Pete,

It was one of my girlfriends who told me that I snored, but eventually I knew something was really wrong when I started falling asleep at the wheel.

I got a new DS2 like you did, and I like the quietness of it. But the humidifier is wimpy compared to the DS1, even on the highest, "5" setting, so I now have a coffee cup warmer under that side of the machine to pre-heat the humidifier.

I recently joined the facebook support group for Philips recall users; its quite helpful and there are a bunch of Canadian members.

Jeff
 
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