Because of patient harm concerns, Medtronic first alerted customers of the stolen laryngoscopes in late September, and on Nov. 13, the FDA announced a Class I recall — the most serious type — of 5,709 Covidien laryngoscopes.
Laryngoscopes are used to view vocal cords during procedures, and they help facilitate intubation of the trachea, according to the FDA. Defective Covidien devices were stolen from “intended scrap” and sold, including on a now-deleted Facebook Marketplace post. It’s unknown where the products ended up, so Covidien is recalling lots distributed between July 5, 2019, and July 14, 2022.
Medtronic’s alert lists hundreds of serial numbers, but McGrath MAC video laryngoscopes purchased directly from Medtronic or from authorized distributors are not affected by the safety notice.
Potential adverse events from defective laryngoscopes include respiratory failure, hypoxia, hypercapnia, tissue damage or trauma, and a delay in treatment that leads to prolonged procedure or length of stay. No adverse events related to the issue have been reported to either company.
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