Thousands of bed rails were recently recalled by Nova Medical Products due to asphyxiation and entrapment concerns. The recall products included the Home Bed Rail Model No. 6093 and Model No. 6094.
It would seem this is not an isolated incident of concern over bed rail safety. Bed rail entrapment has been recognized as a ‘silent killer’ in both medical facilities and nursing homes. Bed rails and frames have allegedly resulted in countless incidents of entrapment and even strangulation in home health care and in institutions.
The potential safety threat of bed rails has remained relatively low key in the media. One’s bed should be as a nest – safe and warm – and the thought of asphyxiation (not being able to breathe) and entrapment (not being able to move) while in the vulnerable position of sleep seems unthinkable.
The official US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) web site has laws governing bed rail safety, specified by the FDA. These specifications are divided into three categories: adults portable bed rails, portable bed rails for children, and hospital bed rails.
Bed rails by different companies have caused many death and injury reports, which have been reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Two of these deaths resulted in Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare recalling its Adult Portable Bed Rails in December 2021. The deaths were allegedly the result of safety hazards posed by the rails, and the reason given for the recall of the bed rails was ‘entrapment and asphyxiation hazards’.
As many as 496 1000 units in the US, 68 000 units in Canada, and 119 units in Mexico had to be recalled.
In June 2022, a notice given by CPSC urged consumers to immediately stop using certain Mobility Transfer Systems adult portable bed rails. As many as 285,000 of these had to be recalled after three people were reportedly left trapped by the bed rails. Among these were a 90-year-old disabled woman from California.
Still, in spite of certain incidents of reported deaths and injuries caused by bed rails, there is the counter-balance: how many people are prevented from falling off their beds and being injured because of the safety provided by the rails.
Bed rails are intended to be a buffer between harm and safety for many people who are vulnerable as a result of medical conditions or age. When they don’t perform this duty, lives are endangered.
If your loved one was entrapped or suffocated in an incident involving bed rails, we want to help. Contact our compassionate nursing home and elder care attorneys at OnderLaw from anywhere in the United States. We are a national firm with personalized service, and we can help.
