The Philips CPAP lawsuit resulted from a significant quality control lapse at Philips. As a result, between 1st May and 31st June, over 48,000 faulty ventilators and other such devices were reported, which caused a lot of problems in the healthcare sector. Here is all that you need to know about the case.
The cause
Philips used PE-PUR foam to reduce the noise in its ventilators and make the conducting pipes more durable. However, when the people used the machines, the PE-PUR foam started breaking off, and its shreds filled the air pipes. These foam shreds eventually filled the nasal passage and lungs of the patients, causing severe damage and deaths. The PE-PUR foam particles are also said to fill the air pipes with toxic particles harmful to health.
The seriousness
According to the FDA, the recall of the faulty machines fell in the category of Class 1 recall. Per the guidelines of the FDA, a Class 1 recall means that the product may cause serious health problems, injuries, and deaths. Therefore, the fault in the machines is a serious breach of the quality assurance policies and the guidelines set by the FDA for the manufacturing of ventilator machines.
The PE-PUR foam can cause cancer in the patient, such as brain, breast, lung, nasal, and more. Apart from this, other health issues include Airway disease, lung problems, ear, nose, and throat inflammation, and much more.
Worth of the lawsuit
So far, the claim’s worth is not determined, but experts predict that the suit could fall between $100,000 to $500,000. In the recent findings, it was identified that Philips knew about this problem of the PE-PUR foam since 2015 and continued with the production using the same material. The issue surfaced when consumers received complaints worldwide, and Philips eventually had to take corrective actions.
Corrective action
Philips recalled over 48,000 units voluntarily as compensation for the manufacturing fault. In addition, serial numbers and series were shared with the consumers so that they could identify the faulty machines and send them back to the manufacturers. In the meantime, many consumers, such as hospitals and healthcare facilities, also returned the devices, which were assumed to be faulty, damaging the company’s image and loyalty.
Compensating the damage to the people would be difficult for Philips. Still, they are trying hard to recover from the loss of business due to the recall, the negative publicity, and the damage caused to the brand’s worth and the consumers’ trust.
Conclusion
Investigations are being conducted, and audits are being carried out to determine the exact number of faulty machines and the damage it has caused to the people and their health. However, since the PE-PUR foam does not cause immediate damage to people’s health until the foam is highly degraded, thus assigning a number or value to it cannot be accessible at the moment. Philips is also trying to amend the damage caused to its brand and retain customer loyalty by recalling the machines from around the world with full replacement opportunities.
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