A medical device alert has been issued and published by the MHRA in relation to Ethicon surgical staplers, which have reportedly caused injury to some patients.
It’s understood that there’s a risk that some of the devices manufactured from March 2018 have not been working properly. Reported issues include the devices misfiring or failing to fire the staples during surgery. The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) say that there has been increased complaints of malformed stables with some devices being returned.
With this issue involving invasive surgery, the alert is one that needs to be taken incredibly seriously.
Risk of Ethicon surgical staplers failure
The risk of the Ethicon surgical staplers failing during surgery is incredibly serious. It’s understood that there have been incidents where patients have suffered injuries linked to the problem, and complications that could arise from the issue could be serious and permanent.
Thankfully, the risk of failure is understood to be incredibly low, and the manufacturer is taking steps to recall hundreds of devices. Medical professionals will need to be vigilant to ensure that devices affected by the recall are not used.
However, for anyone who has been affected prior to the issue being acknowledged, the damage may already have been done.
Why this is serious
The issue with the Ethicon surgical staplers, although understood to be low in terms of risk, is serious where an incident does take place.
Invasive surgery carries its own risks, some of which can be severe and even fatal, and there can be many involved. Complications that arise from additional, unforeseen risks can increase the likelihood of a patient suffering, and when it’s surgical equipment, the potential consequences can be frightening.
It’s understood that there has already been reports of injuries, and anyone who has suffered as a result of a problem like this should know their rights.
What can people do?
For anyone who suffers an injury or complication that arises from the Ethicon surgical staplers issue, they may be able to bring a claim for personal injury compensation.
We do have to account for the fact that the risk is low, and whether a person can claim or not needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. But there can be a cause of action when something like this happens, and a lot of our experience in terms of group actions and multi-party litigation stems from medical products that have been recalled.
The important thing to know is that patients have rights, and no one should suffer unnecessarily. If you need advice about this issue or any other medical product issue, please don’t hesitate to contact the team for free, no-obligation advice.