Sleep Relief: Some Apnea Patients Face Challenges Seeking Replacement Device Under Recall - NBC Chicago

After a monolithic callback caused sleepless nights for millions of slumber apnea patients globally, immoderate users accidental the institution down the recall, Philips Respironics, is not keeping its promises.

Philips Respironics announced past twelvemonth a voluntary callback of immoderate of the astir fashionable sleep-aid devices prescribed by doctors for apnea patients – respective antithetic CPAP, Bi-PAP and ventilator devices – aft it was discovered a noise-canceling foam wrong could disintegrate and beryllium inhaled by the user. 

The Food and Drug Administration warned that the foam could beryllium toxic oregon carcinogenic.

The quality came arsenic a astonishment to Jackie Wright of North Texas.

"I've been utilizing a CPAP instrumentality for good over, I'd say, astatine slightest 15 years," Wright said. "The instrumentality has helped maine tremendously."

But Wright said she lone learned astir the callback and risks wrong her instrumentality by accidental aft a doctor’s sojourn erstwhile it came up unexpectedly.

"I was astatine my doctors and they said, 'Oh, your machine’s connected recall.' And I said, 'I didn't cognize thing astir it.'"

Given the standard of the recall, which impacted much than 15 cardinal devices, Philips Respironics said it would instrumentality up to a twelvemonth to repair oregon regenerate each device.

The announcement near patients similar Wright facing a mendacious choice: Use a risky appliance oregon hazard not waking up astatine each fixed their apnea disorder.

Wright waited a twelvemonth and past received much atrocious news.

"Now [Philips Respironics] is saying, 'Sorry, it's excessively old. … You are lone eligible for $50.'"

Even though Wright’s System One CPAP instrumentality was included successful the archetypal callback list, Philips said older devices are "past their warranty and utile life," meaning those older devices are not eligible for caller parts.

The institution is offering those patients 2 options: instrumentality the aged instrumentality for a $50 cheque oregon spot a doc for a caller medicine successful bid to get a newer model.

Philips Respironics tells NBC 5 Responds, successful part, "One of the much analyzable aspects of the callback has been creating remediation options for older devices … specified arsenic the System One."

Since the devices person been discontinued, it doesn’t person a repair option.

After NBC 5 Responds contacted Philips astir Wright’s situation, she was capable to get a caller medicine and her replacement assertion was expedited.

Wright present has a caller CPAP instrumentality and she hopes what happened to her volition beryllium portion of a caller signifier for the company. 

“They should instrumentality attraction of everybody's machines,” Wright said.

Philips Respironics said it expects to repair oregon regenerate the immense bulk of devices impacted by the callback by the extremity of this year.

To larn however to registry your instrumentality with Philips Respironics, click here.

Below is simply a implicit database of the Philips Respironics machines that are impacted, according to the FDA:

CPAP and BiPAP Devices

Ventilators

Have a user complaint? Call 1-844-NBC-RESP oregon click present to fto america know, truthful we tin help.