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You May Be Entitled to Recovery
Philips Respironics released an updated notification and created a new website regarding their recalled breathing products. Various potential health and safety risks involving lung injury have been identified and associated with the products, which are used for breathing assistance and sleep apnea.
Injury risks include lung damage, difficulty breathing, possible carcinoma, and other injuries. Such risks stem from the possibility of inhaling degraded foam from the product, as well as outgassing from toxic chemicals.
Philips Respironics has issued a recall of its CPAP sleep apnea machines and various other devices. You may be entitled to recourse under the law if you’ve been injured by one of these products.
How Serious Is the Philips CPAP Recall? What Are the Injury Risks?
The Phillips CPAP recall is being enforced because of serious injury risks. We are taking inquiries from people who have used these Philips devices for more than a year and have suffered symptoms or injuries such as:
- Difficulty breathing
- Lung damage
- Inflammation or irritation of the airways
- New or progressively worsening asthma
- Pneumonia
- Respiratory failure
- Lung cancer
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Colon cancer
- Heart attack or failure
- Stroke
- Liver or kidney disease
- Various other diseases of the lungs and internal organs
Defective medical devices such as these can cause severe and permanently debilitating injuries. You should seek medical treatment and contact a lawyer if you have experienced any of these injuries after using a Philips CPAP or bilevel PAP machine, or mechanical respirator.
How Much Is the CPAP Lawsuit Worth?
People who have suffered lung injury or other conditions after using a Philips Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi-Level PAP), Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), or mechanical ventilator device may be eligible for damages for their losses.
Damages in a lawsuit can cover:
- Costs of medical services and medications
- Lost wages from missing work due to injury
- Loss of the ability to generate income in the future
- Additional medical treatment not covered by insurance
- Pain and suffering costs
Additional damages may be awarded depending on the circumstances of each individual case. For instance, loss of consortium/companionship can be issued in certain cases, and wrongful death damages may be available in cases where the loss of life was caused by the product defect.
Which Philips CPAP, PAP, and Mechanical Ventilators were Recalled?
The Philips recall applies to millions of sleep ventilator and apnea devices which may increase the risk of respiratory illness and lung injuries.
An estimated 3 to 4 million breathing devices may be affected, most of which are first-generation products sold prior to April 2021. Recalled devices include the following products made between 2009 and April 26, 2021:
Issues with Foam Liner May Present Health Risks
Foam Degradation
The foam may degrade into small particles, which can then enter into the devices’ air pathways, where they can be inhaled or swallowed. Injured consumers have reported finding black debris in the breathing tubes of their devices. Contamination may occur within the airpath circuit which extends from the device outlet, humidifier, tubing, and mask.
Risks of exposure from the foam include irritation (skin, eye, and respiratory tract), headache, lung irritation/inflammation, asthma, internal organ damage, cough, chest pressure, sinus infection, various respiratory diseases, and possible carcinogenic risks.
Chemical Off-Gassing Risks
Potential risks of chemical exposure injury due to off-gassing may include: headache, nausea/vomiting, hypersensitivity, irritation (eye, nose, respiratory tract, skin), as well as possible carcinogenic effects.
Contact a Medical Devices Lawsuit Attorney
Injuries from a Philips sleep apnea machine and other similar devices can disrupt a person’s entire life and that of their loved ones as well. If you or a loved one have suffered injury due to recalled Philips breathing machines, you may need the services of an experienced injury attorney.
At Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C., our aim is to help our clients and their families put their lives back on the right track. We give each individual client the personal attention they need and deserve during a difficult time.
