What to do if you Have Been Hurt by a Defective Medical Device

 Posted on February 25, 2014 in Defective Medical Devices

Although medical device manufacturers are supposed to vet their creations extensively before putting them on the market, some products get in the hands of caregivers or patients when there are dangerous consequences or bugs that haven't been addressed.

If you have been injured by a defective medical device, you could suffer pain, complications, and possibly even have to undergo treatment for whatever problems the device caused. After getting medical treatment for the issue, you need to consult with a defective medical device attorney about your case to ensure that you receive any compensation you deserve, and that the device will not continue to cause issues for other people.

There's another step you should take if you are concerned about the product issues affecting other patients. When device manufacturers or government regulators are not aware of an existing problem, there is more of a chance that other patients could be hurt by the device. That's why the Food and Drug Administration maintains a reporting program for these dangerous products.

If you believe that the product is a suspected counterfeit, has defective components, was contaminated, raises labeling concerns, or has questionable stability, you should consider contacting the FDA about the defective product.

The easiest way to share your concerns is using the MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form. This is the program that the FDA uses to track issues in combination products, cosmetics, medical devices, nutritional products, and medications.

As a patient or user of these products, this is the system you would use to alert the FDA of a possible problem. Manufacturers and user facilities for medical devices are supposed to report any "adverse events" they are aware of using their own medical device reporting program.

The FDA is limited as to what they can investigate without you help. You need to consult with an Illinois defective medical device attorney and raise your concerns so that other patients might be protected from the injuries you have already sustained. Let the government investigate possible defects as soon as possible by reporting them.