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Withdrawal of limitation in the use of VENDLET

The upgrade of VENDLET is proceeding as planned

VENDLET is back in use

VENDLET was out of use for 5 months in 2006

In November 2006 the Ministry of the Interior and Health in Denmark annulled the order from the Danish Medicines Agency to remove VENDLET from use on the grounds that the advantages for the many patients compensate for the risk.

In June 2005 an old lady died as a cause of VENDLET. A button which activates the slide sheet did not disconnect after it had been activated. In the following months, several incidents occurred in Denmark involving VENDLET partly due to a short circuit in the control unit, partly due to incorrect mounting or lack of maintenance.

These incidents lead the Danish Medicines Agency to issue an order to remove all VENDLET systems from use in June 2006. This caused a somewhat chaotic state in many nursing environments throughout Denmark as the caregivers now had to turn the heavy and fragile patients manually. This involved heavy lifting for the personnel and increased the risk of ulcers for the patients, as they were repositioned more seldom and less gently.

Therefore, the order brought about a strong reaction from trade unions, The Danish Working Environment Service, leaders of old people’s homes, therapists, caregivers, private users and relatives to patients in Denmark. We are convinced that this contributed strongly to the fact that the Ministry of the Interior and Health in Denmark gave permission to use VENDLET again on the condition that the caregiver ensures that the power supply to VENDLET is switched off before leaving the patient. At the same time the Ministry approved a time schedule from H.C. Equipment for the upgrade of all VENDLET systems on the market.

The technical solution to the problems with VENDLET observes all requirements to electrical and mechanical safety and includes i.a. a new control unit with timer, which automatically turns off the power supply after 1½ minutes and plastic side rails which are pressed onto the bars before the patient is left in bed.

After the upgrade there is no risk connected to the use of VENDLET provided that all instructions regarding mounting, use and periodic safety checks are followed.