The government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a medical device alert and announced the recall for reportedly defective plastic syringes.<\/p>\n
Manufactured by Becton Dickinson, the catheter tip syringe with Luer slip adapters<\/em> have reportedly failed routine stability tests. Under testing, the syringes can leak through the syringe stopper, rendering administration of medicine inaccurate and unsafe. In the voluntary product recall, Becton Dickinson assured that the medical devices can be used up to those two years. The company is aware that, in extreme cases, the leaking may cause a “delay in therapy, underdosing of the patient or exposure of clinicians or patients to drugs”.<\/p>\n The recall comes after a Field Safety Notice was published earlier this year in February 2017.<\/p>\n Users and stockists are being asked to acknowledge receipt of the Field Safety Notice before sending the defective products back to the manufacturer for replacement. The syringes are extremely common in medical practice, so all medical staff, physicians and care providers should be made aware of the defect and the subsequent recall. Healthcare institutions who won’t have any of the affected stock are still requested to notify Becton Dickinson that they possess none of the recalled syringes.<\/p>\n
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\nThe leak is identified in the stopper where medication can leak out of the syringe instead of being administered as intended. The affected syringes have a 5-year expiration date, but can be susceptible to leaking around 2 years after manufacturing.<\/p>\nField safety notice published earlier this year<\/h2>\n