Imagine having your health or your very life depend on a medical device, only to wind up hospitalized because the device doesn’t function the way it should. That nightmare scenario is exactly what has happened to thousands of people with the Medtronic MiniMed 600 series insulin pump.
In theory, insulin pumps improve the prognosis for people with diabetes by eliminating human error in the administration of insulin. Unfortunately, as the recent recall has shown, defective design or inadequate testing means that the device itself could cause errors that may be much worse than human mistakes.
Medtronic’s devices are part of a major recall
The MiniMed 600 series includes some of Medtronic’s more popular insulin pumps, and that popularity means that more than 322,000 individual insulin pumps helping people with type 1 diabetes are part of the recall. The recommendation, in this case, is for people with the affected units to inspect the unit for signs of potential issues and contact their physician if they suspect an issue or if they cannot properly analyze the functionality of the device on their own.
Issues with the supply tank and a ring used in the device could result in either the patient receiving far too much insulin or not enough based on their current blood sugar levels. Either failure could have serious medical consequences for the person involved.
Anyone who incurs medical expenses or loses a loved one as the result of a defective medical device may have the opportunity to hold the manufacturer or the medical professional who installed the device responsible for their injuries and losses.
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