Sleep apnea patients might need a breathing device but due to a recent lawsuit against the Philips DreamStation CPAP device lawsuit, patients are now looking for alternatives.
Philips CPAP Breathing Assistance
According to NBCWashington, people who suffer from sleep apnea like Terri Domingo need a breathing device not just to get a good night sleep but according to Domingo, the machine felt like it was "keeping me alive." Domingo was diagnosed with a sleep disorder disrupting her breathing.
Ever since then, she has been using the Philips DreamStation CPAP to help her breathing. As of the moment, she's among the four million individuals all searching for an alternative after Philips voluntarily recalled millions of its popular breathing device in June, 2021. The recall was due to "serious safety concerns."
Philips Recalls Machines
The recall by Philips reportedly affected over a dozen CPAP, BIPAP, and even mechanical ventilator machines that had shown that sound abatement foam found inside the device could actually degrade into smaller particles which could then be inhaled or swallowed. The company reportedly found the foam capable of releasing harmful chemicals directly into the drive's airway.
Philips noted that it has already received a "limited number of reports" regarding possible patient impact and the FDA warns the public that this problem could result in serious injury which can also be life threatening and even cause permanent impairment and would require medical intervention in order to prevent permanent damage. The FDA has also labeled this particular action Class I or its "most serious type of recall."
Dena Young on Class Lawsuit
The issue is currently the subject of at least two different class action lawsuits that are on behalf of the customers that are affected. Dena Young, one of the attorneys that is now representing about 2,000 Philips customers in the lawsuit against the popular company gave a statement. Chronic sleep deprivation has seen to have a link to brain damage hence the importance of sleep.
Young noted that to recall a product that people actually rely on to live without even providing a device replacement is "completely reckless." The filings now alleges that Philips was aware of the "serious risks" long before the actual recall and patients all complained regarding black particles in their own machine for quite a while.
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Philips Respond to Issue
Young noted that while the whole class action suit still aims to help recover the economic losses of the customers, her firm is now also representing clients that have sustained personal injury with claims that it was related to the use of the device. She noted that there are now "significant lung injuries" that were seen after using the machine. Sleeping habits are also linked to the possibility of alzheimer's progression later on in life.
The injuries developed include pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even lung cancer. A certain Philips spokesman noted that the company does not comment regarding the pending litigation but noted to News4 that they only saw "an increase in device complaints" in recent years before testing in 2021 revealed the possible risks.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
