Tags : fda, Lifeline Pendant Personal Help Buttons, Philips Lifeline, safety alert, technology
Philips Lifeline, FDA Warn of Choking Hazard With Emergency Help Button
Washington, D.C. (AHN) – A safety alert has been issued for a device worn around the neck that enables users to push a button to summon emergency assistance to their homes because it poses a choking hazard resulting in serious injury or death.
Philips Lifeline has issued the safety alert for its Lifeline Pendant Personal Help Buttons, according to a statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
FDA officials are warning users of the device that it poses a potential choking hazard. The emergency response button, which is worn around the neck, can be used to summon help if someone falls, or has another emergency.
It was intentionally designed not to break off easily so people wouldn’t lose it. However, FDA officials warn that it can become entangled with other objects worn around the neck and cause choking.
FDA officials said in a statement Tuesday, that they were aware of at least six reports of serious injury, including three deaths in the U.S. and one in Canada, from the device between 1998 and 2009.
More than 750,000 people use the device in the U.S. and Canada and FDA officials are sending them letters warning of the hazard.
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