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Examples of Medical Devices from Thousands of Accident and Forensic Investigations Undertaken

Surgical Robots. Risks from changes caused to surgical team dynamics; injuries possible from accessory device failures.
Surgical robot
Vascular Catheters. Principle risk:  breakage.
Infant Incubators. Hazards: overheating; newborn falls from open port holes. 
Infant incubator
ECG Monitors and Defibrillators. Implicated in failures to detect or alarm for fatal arrhythmia.  
ECG strip
Physiolgic monitor
Defibrillator
Neonatal ICU Monitors and Infant Warmer Bassinets. Have caused overheated or burned newborns.
NICU Neonatoal Intensive Care Unit
Apheresis Dialysis Machines. Implicated in fatal gas embolism.
Hemodialysis machine
Radiographic Imaging: MRI Scanners, Gamma Cameras, Mobile X-Ray. Hazards from mechanical failures leading to patient crushing. 
Gamma Camera
MRI Scanner
Mobile X-ray machine
Operating and Treatment Tables. Have caused injuries and deaths from collapse during use or spontaneous movement.
Operating Table
Physical Therapy Table
Heart-Lung Bypass Systems and Blood Circuits. Implicated in fatal gas embolism and clotting disorders.
Heart Lung Bypass Machine
Heart Lung Bypass oxygenator and arterial filter under investigation
Heart Lung Bypass tubing & Reservior under investigation
Bogus Therapy Device. "Carbogenic Therapy" machine fatally overdosed patient with CO2 and Nitrous Oxide.
Vena Cava Filters. Hazards related to migration, misplacement, or vessel perforation.
Vena Cava Filter
Vena Cava Filter
Dislodged Vena Cava Filter
Vena Cava Filter positioning
Beds: Side Rails and Mattresses. Hazards of death or serious injury from airway compression due to entrapment.
Hospital bed siderail entrapment
Hospital bed entrapment
Cardiac Stents. Hazards being damaged during placement or of later clotting.
Cardiac stent

Computerized Medication Carts: Medication errors are still possible.

Computerized medication cart

1982 case. Penicillin cartridge and reusable injector syringe for deep muscular injection: Vascular injection can clog the vessel with the thick medication; ischemic tissue damage; transverse myelitis; paralysis.

Tubex syringe

Test fixture for controlled pull of plunger to test the visibility of blood in the thick white drug.

No human blood seen in cartridge after plunger pulled (aspirated): No indication that needle is accidentally in a blood vessel; needle/cartridge design flaw (from 36years ago).

Tubex syringe under test
Tubex syringe under test
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