I heard about this on the news and realized that my 670g is affected, but Medtronic hasn’t contacted me. A friend of mine also has an affected pump and hasn’t been contacted.
It sounds like it’s pretty easy to tell if the pump is compromised (and I’m actually on a pump break at the moment), but I’m kind of amazed no one has reached out-- wondering if anyone else with an affected pump HAS been contacted?
Leata
This is the same issue as was reported last November. The recall is on a reasonable narrow range of production. If you are impacted you received the letter last November. If in doubt, who isn’t by the way, call the 800 number and they will very if your pump is covered.
Rick
Note: I am a Medtronic ambassador. My opinions are my own. They did not pay me to say nice things. OK, they sent me a shirt and a cup but even I am more expensive than that.
There is really no reason to be contacted. It’s simple to see if one’s pump is broken. IF broken, one doesn’t need a notice from them to call for a replacement.
Per the information on the website, my pump is affected and I was not contacted in November-- and, again, I just happened to hear about this on the news. The same goes for a friend of mine who was affected, per the information on the Medtronic website.
When a medical device is under recall because of issues that have caused at least one death, the manufacturer is responsible for insuring that everyone using it is informed of the possible danger.
What if you had not heard of the recall on the news? What if you did not notice the damage to the pump, because it still functioned?
This happens with cars-- a part of my car’s windshield wiper was under recall last year, and I received a letter, a call and an email.
I’m sure if you saw that your pump was BROKEN, you don’t need a recall notice in order to think to call Medtronic. It is OBVIOUS when the clear ring that holds the reservoir fast, is busted. Complaining about not being notified for this would be like complaining that no one told not to drive your car if a tire is flat. I mean, c’mon!
It’s standard practice for manufacturers (and may be law-- I’m not going to look it up) to alert users of potentially fatal, known design flaws.
You’re free to disagree that this is necessary. However, per Medtronic’s press releases and Rick’s message above, affected users should have been contacted.
I was not, and a close friend was not. I’m not interested in debating the necessity of this communication, but finding out if anyone was or wasn’t alerted.
This is silly. AT ANY TIME, that ring could break. From any batch. From being dropped. From a defect. One must always pay attention to the condition of one’s pump. You don’t need a communication from Medtronic to realize that.
From what I understand, letters and emails were sent out in November. Why you didn’t get one is unclear. Do you get your pump/supplies through a third party?
The letters said:
From what I read, you needed to check the retainer ring on the pump to see if is/was loose, damaged, or missing. Stop using the pump right away if that is the case and contact Medtronic. If there was nothing wrong with the ring, then keep using the pump. If the pump is dropped by accident, check the pump and retainer ring for damage using if there is damage. Check the pump and retainer ring and verify the reservoir is locked correctly at every set change.
You’re right, you should have been notified.
What the heck is a retainer ring? Anybody got a photo?
It’s a thin piece of plastic that that surrounds the chamber that holds the reservoir. Older pumps had that part molded into the body.
I received both a letter and email. The recall is only in place if the ring is broken. It is something that would have caused the pump to not work unless the reservoir was forced.
Regardless, if you have a question please call the 800 number they will assist you with the issue if your pump is on the list. My 670g appeared to be int he list as well. I called and it was determined it was not.
However, regardless if on the list or not, and your pump is not working as expected (this is a manual connection issue) call the 800 number.
Note: I am a Medtronic ambassador. My opinions are my own. They did not pay me to say nice things. OK, they sent me a shirt and a cup but even I am more expensive than that.
This is the link to the original recall. It shows the picture and why it is so important.
rick
Note: I am a Medtronic ambassador. My opinions are my own. They did not pay me to say nice things. OK, they sent me a shirt and a cup but even I am more expensive than that.
I see. Thanks Rphil2. A picture is worth 1,000 words. I also found the letter here, but i did not find the picture until you directed me to it
Never got a letter.
I did not get a letter.
Leata, I believe you are entirely correct to be very concerned that you did not receive a letter (or email) about something as serious as an insulin pump malfunction. I also believe that all pump users have figured out that the all-to-frequent malfunctions require a phone call to Medtronic. Your point is separate from the “usual” malfunctions if I understand you. Your point is that this problem elicited a Recall from Medtronic and users should have been notified in every possible way. Manufacturers can sometimes have a laser-focus on their stock price but not on appropriate communications to the customers who use their products. Sad.
Just to point out once again, not all 670g pumps are on the recall list. The vast majority are not. This is a very narrow recall. Limited to specific manufacturing dates and some materials.
Note: I am a Medtronic ambassador. My opinions are my own. They did not pay me to say nice things. OK, they sent me a shirt and a cup but even I am more expensive than that.
uggh, it would just be nice to be contacted to be on the lookout for this type of thing. if I didn´t get the photo and info from another diabetic, well I wouldn´t know anything about the probability of it happening. If I SAW that it was broken-glad I have good vision-I would immediately be in touch. Maybe a teenager who changed their own pump would not point it out to a parent right away if it were still working, maybe if I had vision problems, I wouldn´t notice it. I don´t see why a company making sh*t-tons of money can´t be bothered with sending out some letters/emails. I mean, C´mon.
If you had vision issues bad enough to not notice a broken pump, would it be wise to be pumping? Or maybe pump but have a sighted person assist with pump related chores?
This argument reminds of a complaint by an Ego electric mower user that the slowest self-propel speed was still too fast for them. That tells me right there that they are so infirm that they have no business mowing a lawn, because EGO mowers will move very slowly at the low end of the speed range. The user should not have been whining so much about the speed when they clearly have no business mowing a lawn, to the extent that they want EGO to accommodate them. It wouldn’t be practical and they should know their limitation isn’t a reason for a product to be re-designed. Would they want stereo systems to include close-captioning for the lyrics because they are deaf? It’s the same thing–we must accept our limitations to the extent that we don’t expect and/or demand that the world conform to our every desire. I’d like to see a lot more personal responsibility exhibited–there used to be, but our nanny government is creating a culture of “protect me from every possible peril!”. We have become a society of wimps compared to years ago.
Letters n emails to those ppl that might have been affected. Thats it.
