Philips kept complaints about dangerous breathing machines secret while company profits soared

[justaprogressive]

Philips Respironics received thousands of complaints about a dangerous defect in its breathing machines but kept them secret for years as stock prices soared. The devices, including the popular DreamStation for sleep apnea, went to children, the elderly and veterans before the global giant announced a massive recall.

The first complaints landed at the offices of Philips Respironics in 2010, soon after the company made a fateful decision to redesign its bestselling breathing machines used in homes and hospitals around the world.

To silence the irritating rattle that kept users awake at night, Philips packed the devices with an industrial foam — the same kind used in sofas and mattresses. It quickly became clear that something had gone terribly wrong.

The reports coming into Philips described “black particles” or “dirt and dust” inside machines that pump air to those who struggle to breathe. One noted an “oily-like” substance. Others simply warned of “contamination.”

[link:https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/30/2196491/-Philips-kept-complaints-about-dangerous-breathing-machines-secret-while-company-profits-soared|

[mopinko]

1. this makes me soooo sick. used to use their machine.

the markup on this stuff is just obscene. been a while, but they billed insurance $1500 for a plastic box w a chip barely smarter than a talking greeting card. cant possibly cost much more than $100.
all that profit, and they go w the cheapest fix they can find.
because they were too stupid to make it quiet in the 1st place.

and when they tried to tax this crap in the aca, they fought tooth and nail and beat it.