Description of Event or Problem · 0
THE FOLLOWING WAS REPORTED TO 3B MEDICAL, INC. DBA REACT HEALTH BY A PATIENT VIA EMAIL: ¿TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: THE PURPOSE OF THIS CORRESPONDENCE IS TO LET YOU KNOW OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I EXPERIENCED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, WITHOUT REALIZING THAT I WAS BREATHING TOXIC AIR FROM THE INTERNAL MALFUNCTIONING OF MY CPAP MACHINE. AT THIS TIME, I AM CONTINUING TO EXPERIENCE AND HAVE BEEN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS: ¿SHORTNESS OF BREATH. ¿INTERMITTENT COUGHING. ¿CHOKING FROM WHICH I HAD TO REMOVE THE MASK AND DISCONTINUE MY TREATMENT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. ¿HEADACHES I INITIALLY THOUGHT THE MASK WAS CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS. BUT AFTER CHANGING THE MASK A FEW TIMES, THESE SYMPTOMS PERSISTED. BUT AFTER TAKING THE MACHINE BACK TO THE SLEEP CARE CENTER IN MARCH FOR THEM TO LOOK AT, THEY ADVISED ME TO RETURN THE MACHINE TO AEROCARE (ADAPTHEALTH) FOR REPLACEMENT. AT THAT TIME, I FOUND OUT THAT THESE SYMPTOMS RESULTED FROM THE FAILURE OF THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS WHICH WERE SLOWLY BURNING THROUGH THE AIR COMING FROM THE MACHINE. IF THIS CORRESPONDENCE IS A MATTER OF CONCERN TO REACTHEALTH, I WOULD APPRECIATE AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.¿ 3B MEDICAL, INC. [3B] HAS MADE MULTIPLE UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS, BOTH VIA PHONE AND IN WRITING, TO CONTACT THE PATIENT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS EVENT. 3B ALSO CONTACTED THE PATIENT¿S DME FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THE DME ADVISED 3B THAT THEY PROVIDED THE PATIENT WITH A REPLACEMENT DEVICE, HOWEVER, THE PATIENT REFUSED TO RETURN THE DEVICE LISTED IN THIS MEDWATCH REPORT. THE CURRENT DISPOSITION OF THE DEVICE IS NOT KNOWN. THE PATIENT DID NOT PROVIDE THE DME WITH ANY FURTHER SPECIFICS REGARDING HIS ALLEGATIONS, NOR DID HE STATE WHETHER OR NOT HE HAD SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR HIS SYMPTOMS. THE DEVICE HAS NOT BEEN RETURNED TO 3B FOR AN EVALUATION. THE CAUSE OF THE PATIENT'S ALLEGED SYMPTOMS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. 3B IS REPORTING THIS EVENT OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, AS NO SPECIFIC ALLEGATION OF A DEVICE MALFUNCTION HAS BEEN MADE.