Philips recall up to 4 million ventilators

Philips is about to recall up to 4 million ventilators

According to the US "Forbes" magazine, the medical device giant Philips is about to recall as many as 4 million ventilators, mainly because a foam material used in these devices may degrade and release harmful and possibly carcinogenic substances.

The recall involves 3 to 4 million machines, more than half of which are located in the United States. 80% of these machines are used to help patients with sleep apnea problems, and the rest are life-sustaining mechanical ventilators.

And this is not the first time that Philips has “smashed” on ventilators this year. Jiemian News previously reported that Philips was exposed to employees selling ventilators privately during the new crown epidemic in 2020, and was sued by the next company.

According to the report, after receiving complaints from a small number of patients, Philips was concerned that a foam material used to suppress machine sounds might degrade into particles, which could be swallowed or inhaled by users. These particles can cause headaches or breathing problems, can cause cancer, and the gas released by the foam can also be harmful. Philips said it has not received reports of deaths due to these problems.