The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published a letter to healthcare providers warning about serious risks associated with the usage of surgical staplers and staples during and after surgical procedures.
After reviewing more than 41,000 individual reports concerning the usage of the devices between Jan. 1, 2011, and March 31, 2018, the FDA found that surgical staplers and staples are linked to the following outcomes:
- 366 deaths
- More than 9,000 serious injuries
- More than 32,000 malfunctions
Deaths and serious injuries after the usage of surgical staplers and staples are due to a variety of complications, including bleeding, sepsis, fistula formation, tearing of internal tissues and organs, and increased risk of cancer recurrence.
Many of the poor outcomes that patients experience after being treated with surgical staplers and staples can be linked to malfunctioning devices and user error. Because of that, the FDA’s letter provided recommendations for healthcare providers to use surgical staplers in a manner that decreases patients’ risks moving forward.
If you or someone you love was injured by a surgical stapler or staples during or after a surgical procedure, you may be entitled to compensation. The defective medical product lawyers at Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel want to speak with you about your injury and complications. Contact us today for a free consultation.