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It was reported that, during total hip replacement, a femoral head impactor broke inside the patient upon impacting.No pieces fell into patient, since the device remained intact.Surgery was resumed, without any delay, with a smith & nephew back-up device.Patient was not injured as consequence of this problem.
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H3, h6: the associated device was returned and evaluated.A visual inspection of the returned device did confirm the stated failure mode.The fractured tip in question was found to be severely damaged, rendering the device inoperable.The impactor shows signs of use.A review of complaint history revealed similar events for the listed device over the previous 12 months, but no similar events for the batch based on the historical data, 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.A contribution of the device to the reported event could be corroborated as the device shows signs of damage/wear.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.
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