|
It was reported that, during an internal fixation surgery, the tip of a small hex screwdriver broke off in the patient and was retrieved.Surgery was resumed, without any delay, with a back-up device.Patient was not injured as consequence of this problem.
|
|
H3, h6: the associated device was returned and evaluated.A visual inspection of the returned device confirmed the stated failure mode.The device was fractured along the tip, rendering the device inoperative.The device shows signs of extensive use.The clinical/medical evaluation concluded that this case reports a broken tip of the small hex driver was retrieved from inside of the patient.Based on the limited information provided, the root cause of the reported tip breakage could not be determined.Per the surgical technique for the 71170029 small hex screwdriver, ¿locking screws may be inserted on power, but should always be tightened by hand in order to avoid loss of reduction, stripping of the screw head or damage to the screwdriver.¿ per report, the surgery was resumed, without any delay, with a back-up device.Since there was no patient harm or other complications reported, no further clinical/medical assessment is warranted at this time.Should any additional medical information be provided, this complaint would be re-assessed.A review of complaint history revealed similar events for the listed device, but no similar events for the batch, this failure mode will be monitored for future complaints for any necessary corrective actions.A review of the manufacturing records did not reveal a manufacturing abnormality that could have caused or contributed to the reported incident.At this time, we do not have reason to suspect that the product failed to meet any product specifications at the time of manufacture.A review of the risk management file revealed this failure mode was previously identified.The anticipated risk level is still adequate.Assessment of historical escalated cases concluded that there are no prior actions related to this device and failure mode.Due to the need for a backup device, a contribution of the device to the reported event could be corroborated.This device is a reusable instrument that can be exposed to numerous surgeries.Damage from prolonged use, misuse or rough handling are probable causes of the reported event.We recommend that all reusable instruments be routinely inspected for wear and damage and replaced as necessary.Based on this investigation, the need for corrective action is not indicated.Should additional information be received, the complaint will be reopened.No further investigation is warranted for this complaint; however, we will continue to monitor future complaints and investigate as necessary.We consider this investigation closed.
|