Personal Injury Law

Recall for Baxter Infusion Pumps Long Overdue

By Jamie G. Goldstein

Infusion pumps used in hospitals are programmed to infuse medicine, nutrients, and other fluids into a patient's body. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently ordered Baxter, an Illinois healthcare company, to 'recall and destroy' over 200,000 of its Colleague pumps for defects discovered back in 2005. In 2005 it was determined that the pumps could malfunction, either postponing or disrupting an infusion.

Baxter ceased selling new Colleague pumps in 2005 after problems with the design, including software defects and battery malfunctions were discovered. However, the pumps are just this year being taken completely off the market. Baxter wanted to leave the pumps on the market all the way until 2013 while it attempted to repair the problems.

It is unknown how many injuries the Baxter brand pump has specifically caused, but since 2005 there have been 56,000 complaints related to infusion pumps, resulting in over 500 deaths. After the recall was announced, Hospira, another Illinois infusion pump manufacturer, declared it was recalling one of its infusion brand pumps as well. Baxter chairman and CEO Bob Parkinson stated that the infusion pump issue 'languished far beyond what it should have.' Thankfully, these pumps have finally been taken off the market.

Full post as published by Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer on May 20, 2010 (boomark / email).