Whistleblowers accuse Fla. VA hospital of ignoring Alaris recall

Staff members at a Florida U.S. Veterans Affairs Dept. hospital reportedly said leadership ignored the recall of the Alaris infusion pump made by Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX).

Leaders at the James Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa dismissed repeated warnings about BD’s device over multiple weeks, even after a patient’s life was endangered, the Military Times reported.

On July 18, BD updated the recalls on the Alaris pumps and infusion sets following the initial recall on April 15, when BD notified clinicians that the manufacturing process of the pumps resulted in weakened plastic. Over time, the weakened plastic could lead to free flow, over-infusion, under-infusion or interruption of the infusion. The July recall urged hospitals to destroy all affected products found in their inventories.

A patient at the Tampa facility received too much prescribed medication due to what nurses described as an IV malfunction. Hospital staff filed a grievance saying that a medical disaster was avoided only due to the quick-thinking nurses who diagnosed the problem. James Haley Veterans’ Hospital continued to use the recalled tubing for weeks after the July 31 incident despite formal complaints from the nurses’ union in early August, the newspaper reported.

Nurses who raised concerns about the recalled tubing were told IV equipment shortages were to blame, but VA officials, in response to the grievance, denied that claim and said appropriate equipment is available. All affected tubing at the facility is being replaced immediately, the hospital told the Military Times this week.