The FDA Warns Consumers to Check Philips DreamStation 2 CPAP Machines for Signs of Overheating

The Philips DreamStation 2 CPAP machine, used both at home and in medical settings, is prescribed to provide positive airway pressure for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned patients and health care providers to diligently attend to whether their Philips DreamStation 2 continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are overheating. The warning was issued after the FDA realized that reports about thermal issues like burns, smoke and fire were increasing in connection with these CPAP machines; the agency received 270 reports of problems between August 1, 2023–November 15, 2023. If you were burned, suffered smoke inhalation, or another injury due to a CPAP machine overheating, should call the trustworthy Chicago-based product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group. Billions have been recovered in cases with which we’ve been involved.

Consult Moll Law Group About Injuries From an Overheating CPAP

As a patient or caregiver, you should be aware that the affected Dream Station 2 CPAP machines were shipped in order to replace recalled DreamStation 1 CPAP machines. The foam used in the machines does not appear to be causing the safety issue. Rather, in a developing situation, it appears that there is an electrical or mechanical malfunction within the machine that can cause it to overheat under specific circumstances.

Patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers have been asked to ensure that the manufacturer’s instructions in the user manual are carefully followed. Among these instructions are to let the CPAP machine’s heater plate and water tank cool for 15 minutes prior to tank removal to reduce the burn risk and to inspect and examine the CPAP for atypical smells or appearance changes. If the machine exhibits any altered smell, appearance or sounds, or starts performing differently, the CPAP should be unplugged and left unused. Patients should ask their primary care physician or sleep doctor for next steps. Reports should be made to the FDA about these issues. Meanwhile the FDA continues to investigate and to discuss the manufacturer about mitigation strategies.

If you were injured by an overheating CPAP machine, you may have grounds to bring a product liability lawsuit. These lawsuits are brought when a medical device has a manufacturing, design, or marketing defect, or some combination of these defects. Generally when there is a manufacturing defect, it affects one unit or a specific batch of the devices. With a design defect, every machine has flaws because there is some aspect of the design that is flawed. When a company fails to provide adequate warnings, a marketing defect will be found. Our lawyers may be able to pursue damages from the manufacturer of the CPAP machine under a theory of negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty, or breach of contract, and in some cases, it could be appropriate to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit against the prescribing doctor.

If you or your child was injured by an overheating CPAP machine, you should discuss your injuries and what happened with the knowledgeable product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group. While we’re based in Chicago, we represent injured plaintiffs across the country. Please complete our online form or call us at 312.462.1700.