GE Healthcare recall involves tens of thousands of infant warmers

July 12, 2019 By Chris Newmarker Leave a Comment

GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) has alerted health providers to inspect the bedside panels and latch areas of all Giraffe and Panda i-Res infant warmers, after 338 complaints of panels malfunctioning.

In two cases, infants fell from warmers and cracked their skulls, but there have been no reports of deaths, according to the U.S. FDA. The FDA today said it had designated the recall as Class I, its most serious level.

The recall involves all Giraffe and Panda i-Res infant warmers made between 2007 and early this year — with a total 25,204 warmers affected in the U.S.

GE Healthcare officials said in a statement: “We take patient safety very seriously. Upon receiving reports of injury, we immediately began working with the hospitals to address the issue.”

The problem with the panels and latches appears to be related to human factors-related design.

The infant warmers have front or rear maneuvering handles, but healthcare workers sometimes were instead grabbing onto the panels to move the warmers, causing cracks or breaks in the latch areas, according to FDA.

If the latch on one of the panels of a warmer is cracked or broken, it could disengage and fall open when an infant comes in contact with it — which means an infant would not have any protection from rolling out of the warmer and falling.

GE Healthcare sent an Urgent Medical Device Correction notification letter to customers in March, followed by a press release and updated notification letter in June.

GE Healthcare asked health providers to inspect all warmers for cracked or broken panels or latches and to stop using them if there are any problems.

Health providers can continue to use the warmers if the panels and latches are operating properly, but they must add newly provided safety labels to the panel warning about the correct and incorrect ways to move the warmers. GE Healthcare also provided instructional posters for posting.

Said GE Healthcare: “To ensure units are safe to use, we are providing additional safety instructions to all hospitals with the warmers, and are replacing any damaged parts.”

This isn’t the first time that Giraffe and Panda warmers have been involved in a serious recall. For example, FDA in 2014 issued a Class I designation for a recall involving components that were installed backward during assembly.

GE Healthcare Giraffe Panda infant warmers recall

[Image courtesy of U.S. FDA]

Mojo Vision developing ‘smart’ contact lens
Mojo Vision is working with the FDA to develop a smart contact lens to help people with low vision. The lens overlays real-time contrast and lighting enhancements with zoom functionality and recently won FDA breakthrough device designation. “Receiving the Breakthrough Device Designation is a significant step in our research and development process. We look forward to… […]
FDA to EPA: Leave us out of your ethylene oxide rule
This article has been updated with comments from the FDA. The FDA has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to leave the FDA out of its proposal for stricter regulation of ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions, and the EPA complied. In an interagency comment on the EPA’s proposed rule governing commercial EtO users — which includes medical… […]
Clippart debuts stepper-controlled flow valve
Clippard recently launched a new stepper-controlled proportional valve for precision flow control. The Eclipse valve uses the industry’s most robust and powerful miniature linear actuator, according to Cincinnati-based Clippard. The patent-pending Eclipse is designed for liquid and gas delivery, medical, analytical and industrial automation requiring ultra-fine resolution and repeatability. The design also allows for custom… […]
Supporting regulatory affairs departments to address clinical requirements under new MDR
By Dietmar Falke and Jaap Laufer, Emergo Group The May 25, 2020 MDR deadline is approaching rapidly, and by now many medical device manufacturers are aware that the MDR requires the proactive collection of post-marketing clinical follow-up (PMCF) data. Get the full story here at the Emergo Group’s blog. The opinions expressed in this blog… […]
5 tips to raise funding for your medical device
Securing funding can be a long and tedious process, and medical device businesses must work to position themselves as especially attractive to potential investors to maximize success and accelerate the fundraising process. Jon Speer, Greenlight Guru According to Alejandro Cremades, author of The Art of Startup Fundraising, it can take from six to nine months… […]
FDA recognizes latest ISO 14971 as medical device consensus standard
By Mark Leimbeck and Stewart Eisenhart, Emergo Group The US Food and Drug Administration has granted Recognized Consensus Standard status to the third edition of the ISO 14071 risk management standard for medical devices and IVD products. Get the full story here at the Emergo Group’s blog. The opinions expressed in this blog post are… […]
Synaptive Medical updates Modus V surgical microscope
Synaptive Medical announced that its U.S. and Canadian Modus V robotic digital microscope now includes updates such as additional 3D visualization and voice-activated control. The Modus V is a robotically controlled digital microscope used as part of Synaptive’s BrightMatter surgical suite designed for less invasive, patient-specific approaches in complex cranial procedures. The Modus V provides similar… […]
New machine can preserve donor livers for 1 week
Researchers in Switzerland have built a perfusion machine that can preserve human livers for transplantation for a week or more, potentially slashing the number of donor livers that must be discarded due to time-related deterioration. Existing perfusion technology can preserve a donor liver for up to 24 hours. The team of surgeons, biologists and engineers… […]
Smiths Medical launches Portex tracheostomy tubes and kits
Smiths Medical this week launched its Portex polyvinyl chloride tracheostomy tube and kit portfolio. The new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube portfolio has options for a variety of patients, according to the company. “Our goal was to create tracheostomy tubes and kits designed to help clinicians provide the best patient care. We’re excited to offer a variety… […]
FDA clears Cleveland Clinic 3D-printed airway stents
The FDA recently cleared 3D-printed, patient-specific stents developed by a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic physician Tom Gildea developed the stents to keep open the airways of patients with serious breathing disorders caused by inflammation, trauma, tumors and other masses. Airway stents come in a limited number of sizes and shapes and are… […]
Boston Scientific shares drop on Q4 sales news
Shares in Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) dropped 8% this morning on news of disappointing fourth-quarter sales. The company’s preliminary earnings report showed sales for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2019 coming in at $2.9 billion, below the $2.91 billion that analysts were expecting. The unaudited sales figure represents organic growth of 7.3%, missing the company’s own guidance of… […]