Philips has said it received “a limited number” of reports of users complaining of headaches, upper airway irritation, cough, chest pressure, and sinus infection.Īfter an investigation, the company has said, it determined that patients exposed to the degradation of the foam risk serious consequences, including “asthma, adverse effects on other organs (e.g., kidney and liver) and toxic carcinogenic effects.” Users wear a mask or nosepiece attached to the machine that provides a steady flow of pressurized air while they sleep. Using a machine known as a CPAP is the most widely used treatment for sleep apnea.
It deprives those who have it of restful sleep, and is linked to a range of ailments, including high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver dysfunction. People with sleep apnea repeatedly stop breathing while they sleep, only to be partially or fully awakened when their brains don’t get enough oxygen. Related: Recall of sleep apnea machines leaves many in the lurch, and worried Philips North America is headquartered in Cambridge, which is one reason lawsuits were filed in Massachusetts. “Thus, the only safe option that Philips offers to its customers … is to purchase Philips’s new model, thus profiting Philips further,” the complaint says.Ī spokesman for Philips North America, a subsidiary of the Dutch multinational company, said Philips does not comment on matters of litigation. “Philips timed its recall … to coincide with the launch of its next generation of products,” which apparently do not include the foam Philips now regards as dangerous, the complaint says. Patients who have used the Philips machines “have complained about black particles in their machines for years,” the complaint says, apparently referring to a visible byproduct of the breakdown of the foam.Ĭarson said he expected lawyers to try to determine what Philips knew and when it knew it as part of the early stages of litigation.Ĭarson also called the timing of the recall “highly suspicious.” Carson, of the firm Berger Montague, who is a lawyer in one of the suits filed in Boston.
“The central allegation is that Philips had knowledge of the defect but failed to alert the public of the serious dangers it presented,” said Shanon J.
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