Philips CPAP Devices Recalled Over Cancer Concerns | Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP Attorneys At Law

Woman in bed using CPAP mask lying next to partner

Victims may be able to pursue a lawsuit

Medical equipment that was supposed to help people breathe better is now keeping many of those same people and their families up at night worrying about worst case scenarios.

Philips Respironics recently issued a recall of thousands of ventilators, BiPAP, and CPAP machines. These devices often work to improve airflow and prevent snoring. They are frequently recommended to people with sleep apnea.

The equipment is being recalled due to problems with its noise-canceling foam. The black, polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) used in the devices degrades over time. Pieces of the debris can enter a person’s air passageway and lungs, causing serious health issues including cancer.

Those who are experiencing injury or illness due to the defective equipment may be eligible to file a lawsuit for compensation of medical bills and other related expenses.

Signs of a defective CPAP

It is not clear how many people the recall will affect or how many people are already suffering from the device’s deterioration. People who have reported ill effects from the devices have described symptoms such as:

Headache
Cough
Upper airway irritation
Chest pressure
Sinus infections
Irritation to the skin, eye, and respiratory tract
Inflammation
Asthma
Nausea/vomiting

The symptoms may be indicative of larger health problems such as:

Heart disease
Stroke
Pneumonia
Respiratory infection
Kidney disease
Reactive Airway Disease (RAD)
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

Cancer is also a potential effect of the degraded foam. Specifically, the material could lead to cancer of the: bladder, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, lung, nose, rectum, prostate, stomach, testicles, and thyroid, as well as other cancer types.

Recalled CPAP equipment

Philips Respironics issues the recall in late June 2021 over the sound abatement foam’s tendency to degrade and volatile organic compound emissions. Many of the products, however, have been on the market since 2009.

The items being recalled are versions of Philips’ ventilators, CPAP (Continues Positive Airway Pressure) and BiPAP (like a CPAP, but with two levels of airflow) devices. For a full list of recalled equipment by make and model, check the recall notice on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website.

Among the items being recalled are versions of Philips Respironics:

DreamStation
SystemOne
Dorma
Trilogy
Garbin Plus

Legal help for CPAP victims

When corporations are reckless with their products and put people’s health at risk it is important for those companies to be held accountable. Unfortunately, this task often falls to victims already struggling with the ill effects of defective equipment.

Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP stands up for those who have been injured or made sick by defective products. Let us fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.

If you were injured or lost a loved one due to one of Philips’ recalled CPAP devices, contact our law firm for a free and confidential case evaluation. A member of our legal team can explain how the law applies to your situation and provide you with your legal options.