BD Recalls Pumps Over Syringe Incompatibility

Becton Dickinson’ Carefusion unit is recalling (Class 1) its Alaris Infusion Pumps due to compatibility issues with Cardinal Health Monoject syringes. “The Alaris pumps are validated for use with ‘Monoject’ syringes and list ‘Monoject’ as one of the options when the user is selecting a syringe type within the Alaris system,” a recall notice says. “However, the dimensions for Monoject syringes have recently changed while rebranding the syringes from ‘Covidien Monoject’ to ‘Cardinal Health Monoject.’”

The notice says Cardinal Health branded Monoject syringes have not been validated for use with the BD Alaris Syringe and PCA modules. If one of the new syringes is used with the previous syringe settings, the pump may not operate or incorrectly estimate the volume of liquid in the syringe, it says, adding that this has resulted in over- and under-infusions, as well as delays in therapy. To date, there have been 13 reported injuries.