Philips Warns of Ventilator Software Error – Potential Danger to Patients

Philips has hospitals and other customers this month warned that there is an error in the software of his ventilators, which could cause them to fail briefly. This concerns the ventilators of the Trilogy Evo, Trilogy Evo O2 and Trilogy EV3000 types. Philips has so far received twenty reports of these types of malfunctions, but has not yet heard of any damage or injury to users.

The devices may alarm incorrectly for an empty battery or power failure, causing the air supply to stop temporarily. “A power outage can cause irreparable harm, including death, to the most vulnerable patient populations if the associated alarm is not sensed with the appropriate response,” Philips writes in the “urgent” warning letter.

Philips came under fire in the summer of 2021 when its subsidiary Respironics had to recall more than five million apnea devices. Insulating foam could come loose at the ‘dream station’ and emit harmful substances. Respironics accused its parent company of downplaying the health risks of the device. The ‘Dreamstation 2’, which was supposed to replace the toxic devices, turned out to be a fire hazard in 2023, according to the American regulator FDA. Philips lost more than 60 percent of its value on the stock exchange due to this ‘apnea affair’.

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There are tens of thousands of Trilogy devices in circulation worldwide, according to the FDA. Philips offers different types website for people who have complaints due to COVID-19. In 2021, devices from the Trilogy series were already struggling with software problems, it appears warnings on the website of the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate, which also distributed the current warning. In 2023, a test showed that a number of related devices did not reliably indicate how much oxygen was being delivered, after which Philips recommended that users purchase an additional sensor. The company is working on an update for the current software problem, which it plans to implement this quarter.

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2024-04-04 18:19:50
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