BMJ 2002;325:905 ( 19 October )

Letters

Adverse events with medical devices may go unreported

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---Amoore and Ingram report that 400 people a year are seriously injured or killed as a result of adverse incidents with medical devices.1 We believe that this figure is the tip of the iceberg and that many more cases occur that are simply not recognised. Infectious complications of medical devices are often not considered in the context of reporting, and so the possible lessons that can minimise recurrence remain unlearnt.

One of the most commonly used medical devices in hospital patients are peripheral intravenous catheters. In our trust alone 32% of all such patients have a peripheral intravenous catheter in situ at any one time. The risk of serious complications associated with these devices is generally perceived to be low. Over the past year, however, we have documented 19 cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia resulting from infection of such catheters.

Data from the Nosocomial Infection National Surveillance Service (NINSS) suggest . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Quality improvement report: Learning from adverse incidents involving medical devices
John Amoore and Paula Ingram
BMJ 2002 325: 272-275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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