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Patient 1
THE UNUSED DEVICE WAS RETURNED TO CONMED IN ORIGINAL PACKAGING. VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED A SMALL HOLE ON THE PRODUCT PACKAGING POLY ADJACENT THE MIDDLE OF THE COMPLAINT DEVICE. THIS HOLE RESULTED IN A BREACH OF STERILITY OF THE PRODUCT. DUE TO THE APPEARANCE AND LOCATION OF THE DEFECT AREA, IT NOT LIKELY A MANUFACTURING RELATED ISSUE. THE MANUFACTURING DOCUMENTS FROM THE DEVICE HISTORY RECORD HAVE BEEN REVIEWED WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE MANUFACTURING AND INSPECTION OF THIS PRODUCT. THE PRODUCTS RELEASED FOR DISTRIBUTION WERE FOUND TO HAVE MET ALL SPECIFICATIONS PRIOR TO SHIPMENT. OF THE LOT CONTAINING (B)(4) UNITS, NO PRIOR COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. A TWO-YEAR REVIEW OF COMPLAINT HISTORY REVEALED 19 PRIOR SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. DURING THIS SAME TIME FRAME, (B)(4) DEVICES HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED AND SHIPPED WORLDWIDE, MAKING THE RATE OF OCCURRENCE OF THIS FAILURE (B)(4). THIS REPORTED PACKAGING ISSUE WAS OBVIOUS TO THE DISTRIBUTOR, PROMPTING THE RETURN OF THE DEVICE FOR EVALUATION. THERE WAS NO PATIENT INVOLVEMENT. AS WITH ALL MEDICAL DEVICES, EXAMINATION OF THE PRODUCT OCCURS MULTIPLE TIMES PRIOR TO USE. GOOD CLINICAL PRACTICE WOULD INCLUDE EXAMINATION AND VERIFICATION OF THE ORIGINAL PACKAGING AND ITS LABELING TO ENSURE BOTH ARE INTACT. THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE (IFU) PROVIDES THE FOLLOWING WARNING. IF PACKAGING HAS BEEN OPENED/DAMAGED OR ALTERED, DO NOT USE THE PRODUCT AND CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER IMMEDIATELY. THIS ISSUE WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED THROUGH THE COMPLAINT SYSTEM TO ASSURE PATIENT SAFETY.