Urgent Medical Device Recall: Triad Group Recalls Sterile Lubricating Jelly

Professional Medical, Inc. recently received notice from the Triad Group regarding an URGENT MEDICAL DEVICE RECALL. The product being recalled is STERILE LUBRICATING JELLY manufactured by the Triad Group and distributed by a number of companies, including Professional Medical.

This recall has been initiated due to concerns expressed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the validation of the gamma radiation sterilization cycles for the Sterile Lubricating Jelly. The use of inadequately sterilized product might result in patient infection.

This recall extends to all lots of Sterile Lubricating Jelly remaining within their labeled expiration dating (three years), including all lot numbers beginning with the digits 7, 8 and 9 and 0. These product lots began shipping in January of 2007.

Please examine all storage rooms, med rooms, med carts and treatment carts and inform nurses to be aware of all insertion kits that might contain lubricating jelly.

Affected items might be listed under the following three item numbers from ProMed:
• 500-LJ04
• 500-LJ144-3GM
• 500-LJ12-04FT

Whether you have the product subject to recall in your possession or not, please take the following steps:
1. Quarantine the affected product, if applicable
2. Email Pam West, VP of Clinical and Regulatory Compliance, at pwest@promedsupply.com for a Product Recall Acknowledgement Form.

If product is needed immediately, a replacement product (065-20545) is available from another manufacturer. Please note there is a difference in price.

We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you and your staff. Please be assured that we are here to help. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Relations Department at 800-648-5190.

A Potential Link Between Acid Suppressive Medications and Pneumonia

A new review in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has potentially linked taking acid suppressive medications with an increased risk of developing hospital-acquired pneumonia. According to the study, out of every 200 inpatients being treated with acid suppressive medications, such as proton pump inhibitors and histamine2 receptor antagonists, one will develop pneumonia.

Acid suppressive medications are the second leading medication worldwide. Between 40 and 70 percent of hospitalized patients receive these drugs, suggesting that there could be a link between the medications and hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Abbott Recalls Blood Glucose Test Strips

Abbott Diabetes Care has announced that they are recalling approximately 359 million blood glucose strips in the U.S. and Puerto Rico because they could give falsely low blood glucose results. These inaccurate readings could lead users to try and raise their blood glucose when it is unnecessary and fail to treat elevated blood glucose due to a falsely low reading.

According to a press release from Abbott, the problem is being caused by longer-than-expected blood fill times. Customers who are using the affected strips should discontinue use of the product. The affected brands are Precision Xtra, Precision Xceed Pro, MediSense Optium, Optium, OptiumEZ and ReliOn Ultima.

Customers are advised to contact their healthcare providers to determine testing options if they do not have any unaffected test strips to use. To view affected lot numbers and instructions for receiving new strips, please click here.

Barnes Foundation Makes Holiday Donations to to Local Charities

Thanks to the generosity of ProMed employees throughout the year, the Barnes Foundation, established by ProMed's president and founder, Terry Barnes, will be making donations to two local charities this holiday season.

Each  month, ProMed employees have the option of donating $5 to the Barnes Foundation in order to wear jeans to work on Fridays. This year, "Jean Fridays" raised a total of $3,000.

The funds will be donated to the George Werden Buck Boys & Girls Club in Joliet, Illinois, who will put the donation toward their Toys for Toys program, and the The Children's Enrichment Foundation, a charitable foundation managed by Children's Habilitation Center in Harvey, Illinois.

"It is so rewarding to know that when we collect together, we can make a real difference at such a wonderful time of year," said Barnes Foundation President Amy Gollan.

To learn more about the Barnes Foundation, please visit www.barnes-foundation.org.

CMS Wins Praise for Delaying Lab Requirement

AHCA is applauding CMS for delaying the implementation of a new requirement that physicians sign clinical lab service requisitions. The agency has pushed back the implementation from January 1, 2011 to the end of the first quarter of 2011.

In a press release, AHCA President and CEO Bruce Yarwood said that "the long term care community, along with our partners in the Clinical Laboratory Coalition, has been fighting this issue vehemently because it placed more emphasis on paperwork than on critical patient care."

To learn more, click here.

Study: Many Seniors Stop Taking Antidepressants Because of Side Effects

More than half of seniors who are first-time antidepressant takers begin taking the drugs while they are on other contraindicated drugs, leading to side effects that cause a quarter of them to stop taking the antidepressants, according to a new study published in The American Journal of General Psychiatry.

The study's authors analyzed information from Medicare claims to determine that 39,000 seniors started taking antidepressants between 2001 and 2006. Of those, 25% were taking other drugs that could have caused major drug interactions and 36% were taking other drugs that could cause moderate interactions.

To learn more, click here.

Report: Nursing Homes Overuse Risky Drugs

A new report from Consumer Reports found that oftentimes nursing homes' use of antipsychotics to treat aggression, agitation or hallucinations in residents with dementia is unwarranted. The report also noted that the risks posed by antipsychotics, such as diabetes, weight gain, movement disorders (sometimes permanent), pneumonia, sudden cardiac arrest and stroke, frequently outweigh the potential benefits of their use.

Experts who contributed to the report suggested trying behavior interventions before considering the use of medication - for example, music therapy, massage therapy, distraction techniques and allowing residents to make frequent calls to friends and family.

The report is part of a Consumer Reports Health Best Buy Drugs ongoing investigation into medication that is prescribed "off-label." There are no FDA-approved drugs to treat dementia or Alzheimer's disease, but doctors can legally prescribe any drug for reasons they deem appropriate.

To learn more, click here.