Normal Saline Flush Syringes FDA Recall

The news lately has not been positive for B. Braun Medical, Inc., a company based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  B. Braun manufactures and distributes many medical products, but the one that’s come under scrutiny in recent weeks is its Normal Saline Flush Syringes, and the issue came to a head recently when the company, in conjunction with the FDA, issued a voluntary nationwide recall of over one million units.  Below is a brief overview of the issue, but if you have been injured as a result of using this product, please contact a defective products attorney immediately to schedule an initial consultation.

How Normal Saline Flush Syringes work:

Normal Saline Flush Syringes are manufactured for the purpose of providing its users with the ability to clean out and purify the interior of other syringes that people use for a variety of reasons, including IV lines and other injections that people tend to manage at home.  The intended usefulness of this product is to provide consumers with the opportunity to lengthen the life of their syringes, thereby reducing the overall costs of managing various health conditions. 

Risk of Injury from Normal Saline Flush Syringes

Earlier in 2007, problems began to arise with Normal Saline Flush Syringes in the form of customer complaints regarding potential contaminants in the solution.  Although no injuries have been reported as of this writing, an investigation revealed that the solution lots ending with the letters “SFR” contained a contaminant that could in fact cause serious injuries.  That’s why B. Braun announced in a press release with the FDA that they were pulling the product off the shelves.  The FDA / B. Braun press release further advised that any consumers using the product should discontinue that use immediately, as there is a cumulative risk in using the product for a longer period of time.

Normal Saline Flush Syringes Side Effects

The particular contaminant that’s been found to be present in this lot of the product could cause phlebitis and / or damage to vital organs such as the brain, kidneys, heart and lungs.  Although much less likely, it’s still possible that this contaminant could cause a pulmonary embolism or silicone embolism syndrome, which could cause severe injury and / or death.  Again, the longer you use the product, the more likely it is that you will encounter medical problems as a result.

Normal Saline Flush Syringes Lawsuit and lawyer help:

If you are using this product, discontinue its use immediately and seek a medical evaluation just to be sure that you haven’t contracted any side effects.  If you have suffered as a result of using Normal Saline Flush syringes, contact a defective products lawyer immediately to evaluate your legal options.