One fogarty catheter with attached bd 3.0ml syringe was returned for evaluation.The balloon and balloon windings were visually inspected for indication of damage or abnormality and there was no damage found.The balloon was inflated with 1.7 cc air and the balloon inflated clear and concentric for 5 minutes.There is no deflation specification using air as the inflation media.The balloon was again inflated using 0.9 cc water and the balloon inflated clear and concentric and did not leak for 5 minutes.Balloon deflation was achieved in 14.5 seconds by pulling back on the syringe plunger as recommended.The specification for balloon deflation is 15 seconds while pulling back on the syringe plunger.The through lumen was found to be patent without any leakage or occlusion.Balloon testing was performed using the returned syringe.Visual examination was performed under microscope at 20x magnification and with the unaided eyes.Customer report of ¿it was difficult to inflate and deflate the balloon¿ could not be confirmed during the analysis, as the device responded appropriately during functional testing.There was no evidence of a manufacturing nonconformance.No further actions will be taken at this time.The fogarty catheter is typically used on vessels that are already occluded so the potential for ischemia related to deflation difficulty in this set of circumstances, is less likely.However, deflation difficulty can also impair balloon modulation during use, which has the potential to lead to vascular injury; therefore, the potential for injury is not considered to be remote.It should be noted that the ifu clearly states in the warning section that: use of a highly viscous or particulate contrast medium is not recommended for balloon inflation because the inflation lumen may become occluded.It is unknown whether user or procedural factors may have contributed to the stated event.Complaint histories for all reported events are reviewed against trending control limits on a monthly basis, and any excursions above the control limits are assessed and documented as part of this monthly review.
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