FDA MedWatch: Adult Portable Bed Rail Safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today an important reminder to advise customers and healthcare providers about bed rail safety.

Adult portable bed rails used for medical purposes are medical devices, including those intended to aid individuals who are disabled, wounded, or recuperating from surgery or hospitalized with transfer in and out of bed or repositioning, or intended to lower the risk of falling, fractures or alleviate the risk of sustaining a fall due to the results of balance disorders or other medical ailments.

Although pulling up or letting down a bed may seem easy, Patients using adult portable bed rail devices and bed rail consumer products may be susceptible to entrapment and falls.

Use caution when using all bed rails, particularly with geriatric people and individuals with altered cognitive status, physical limits, and certain medical disorders.

Learn more about the risks and safe use of bed rails, alternatives to bed rails, and how to report a problem with a medical device to the FDA or a consumer product to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Read More

If you have questions regarding the safety of bed rails, contact the Division of Industry and Consumer Education.

Written by AnitaJohnson-Brown

More News from Los Angeles

• News Mix Top News
• Anita Brown's commentary Opinions matter