Becton Dickinson warned customers and business partners that it has received reports of needlestick injury for its BD Eclipse needle, used in transfusion procedures. Arrow International, which uses BD’s Eclipse needle devices in certain products, wrote to its customers today to inform them of the injury reports.

Based on customer reports, BD said that in some cases the needle’s safety cover has disengaged. An exposed needle increases the risk of needlestick injury.

BD wrote that the needle has an initial “click” sound before the safety cover is locked and a 2nd “click” sound when it is locked over the needle. The user may assume the safety cover is locked after the first “click”, BD said, increasing the likelihood that the cover will come off and heightening the risk of a needlestick injury.

The company said that users should “center your thumb or forefinger on the textured finger pad and push the safety cover forward over the needle until you hear or feel it lock. Visually confirm that the needle is covered when pushing the safety cover over the needle.”

Last week, BD subsidiary CareFusion recalled some IV sets after reports that cracks in the secondary set back-check valve caused infusion fluid to leak. The company said the secondary sets are attached to a needle-free device that has been cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and CareFusion thinks that causes the plastic to crack.

Leakage in the back-check valve connection could unintentionally delay the start of infusion, expose patients to chemicals, cause under-infusion without an alarm or interrupt infusion, CareFusion reported.