|
Oxygen Resuscitator Recall
On June 12, 1998, a member of IAFF
Local 3333, Broward County, Fla., received burns to over 30
percent of his body in an oxygen resuscitator fire. Members
in Austin, Texas; Houston, Texas; Greeley, Colorado; and
Springfield, Oregon have reported similar incidents. Allied
Healthcare Products, Inc., which manufactures Life Support
Products’ (LSP) oxygen regulators, has issued a recall
notice to immediately retrofit all LSP model L270-020 and
L270-050 regulators. Fire departments must ensure that all
LSP regulators owned by both the department and other
agencies with equipment or supply exchange (restocking)
agreements (hospitals and other EMS providers) are
retrofitted.
The retrofit requires oxygen regulator
owners to replace the inlet port’s existing stainless steel
mesh filter with a sintered bronze filter. Allied Healthcare
Products, Inc. is providing the retrofit kits (bronze
filters, new labels, allen wrench and instructions) free of
charge. The smaller pore size of the sintered bronze filters
improves the resistance of the regulator to contamination by
hydrocarbons. To receive the retrofit package, contact
Allied Healthcare Products’ customer service at (800)
444-3954.
If fire departments suspect that their
oxygen resuscitators have been contaminated, a certified
technician must inspect the device, including the
regulators. Any regulator not in good condition must be
removed from service immediately. The manufacturer
recommends that LSP regulators be tested to ensure proper
performance at least every two months, and sent to a LSP
service center for overhaul and cleaning every two years. If
you are using resuscitators made by a different
manufacturer, follow their maintenance requirements.
Regardless of the type of
resuscitators, follow these safe handling practices for all
oxygen hardware:
- Wear clean gloves when working
with oxygen hardware to keep the oil from your hands off
the parts.
- Clean parts using tri-sodium
phosphate (TSP) in warm tap water, and scrub parts
inside and out.
- Don’t work on oxygen hardware
using ordinary tools, use only specially designated
clean tools.
- Use plugs, caps, or plastic bags
to protect equipment from dust and dirt when not in use.
If your department has experienced
problems with the LSP oxygen, report it to the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Medical Products Reporting
Program (MedWatch). The FDA urges users to report problems
they feel may be caused by a medical device design. Report
medical device problems on FDA Form 3500 (voluntary) or
3500A (mandatory). The FDA asks that users use Form 3500A
since it requests more device information about the
experienced problem. Form 3500A and the respective
instructions can be downloaded here. For additional
information regarding medical device reporting, search the
FDA's web page
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/mdr/mdr-forms.html
Report any difficulties with medical
devices to the FDA and to the IAFF Department of
Occupational Health and Safety.
[to top]
|
