Please note that previous medwatch reports for this product may have been submitted under the registration number (b)(4).Currently, these products are to be handled by arjohuntleigh abs complaint handling establishment and any medwatch reports will be submitted under registration #(b)(4).During annual service visit at the customer site an arjo technician noticed that a parker bath's door was not staying up but was falling due to the failure of the gas strut.The arjo technician warned the customer about this failure.Based on the collected information the device was in use in this condition and the customer did not inform arjo about the issue before the visit.No injury or health consequences were reported.The parker (420) bath's door can be opened by pulling the lever down and lifting the door up.The gas spring is adjusted to facilitate door opening and to keep the balance of the door in raised position, to avoid door falling.A gas strut is a hydraulic pump that is a chamber filled with oil and air that is compressed by a rod pushing a piston into the chamber.The movement of these parts is sealed off by hydraulic seals.After time these seals will leak air and oil and the functioning of the pump will gradually deteriorate, up to a point when the weight of the door will no longer be fully supported by the strut.This gradual deterioration will be noticed in daily use.In the product labelling it is not only identified that should this be noticed the device should be repaired, it also instructs the user to look for the failure, and on top of that instructs the part to be replaced regularly.Following the information gathered, the claimed bathtub was under arjo service contract and it was indicated that the gas strut was never replaced before.It had not been replaced since date of manufacturing (2008).The operating and product care instructions informs the device user that door gas strut is subjected to wear and should be replaced every 3rd year.It also provides warnings and actions that can be carried out to prevent situation reported from occurring: ¿always ensure that the equipment is handled by trained staff.¿ ¿always ensure that the bathers limbs are clear of the door before closing.¿ ¿always keep fingers clear of the door when closing.¿ the parker bath involved in the event was manufactured about 14 years before this malfunction occurred.Following the operating and product care instructions: ¿the normal useful life of this equipment, unless otherwise stated, is ten years, subject to required preventative maintenance as specified in this manual.¿ based on the performed analysis, the root cause was found to be related to normal wear of the component which may be prevented by replacements in regular intervals and following the product checks.In summary, the device was not up to the manufacturer¿s specification due to faulty door part, which was noticed upon the service of the device.This complaint was decided to be reported to the regulatory authorities due to gas strut malfunction leading to bath¿s door falling and because the device was not removed from service, but used in this condition.
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