French company issues warning concerning "Fred" defibrillator:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
French defibrillator manufacturer Schiller has issued, in co-operation with the French healthcare products agency (AFSSAPS), a circular to users of its "Fred" debrillators concerning problems with the lithium batteries that are used with the product. Faulty soldering and the resulting isolation of these batteries has led to "four serious incidents", where the device has failed to defibrillate and the unit's alarm has failed despite a previous check test. The company is recalling all batteries manufactured before October 2002 in exchange for new ones, having now changed its supplier. It also advises users to be vigilant that the defibrillators are not accidentally activated leading to battery depletion. For further information concerning updates on this product, contact the technical service at: [email protected]