H11: section a through f - the information provided by bd represents all of the known information at this time.Despite good faith efforts to obtain additional information, the complainant / reporter was unable or unwilling to provide any further patient, product, or procedural details to bd.The following were reviewed as part of this investigation: patient severity, complaint and lot history review, applicable previous investigation(s), sample (if available), applicable manufacture records, and applicable fmea documents.Based on a review of this information, the following was concluded: the complaint of a leaking picc line was confirmed.The product returned for evaluation was one 4fr s/l powerpicc catheter with a needless injection cap attached.The investigation findings are consistent with damage accumulated through flexural fatigue.Flexural fatigue occurs due to cyclic kinking of the catheter tube in which physiological, placement, usage, and mechanical factors may gradually form a crack(s) in the catheter.The returned product sample was evaluated and two splits were observed between the 8 cm depth marker and the 10 cm depth marker.The catheter splits contained physical features associated with material fatigue, and the characteristics observed which supported this type of failure included: ¿ damage which was circumferentially aligned ¿ fracture edges which were rounded and polished due to repeated material wear ¿ 'c' shaped impressions leading into the fracture sites which are consistent with material buckling due to movement which caused the fracture edges to be pressed together ¿ overall elliptical shape to the fracture cross-sections (a result of repeated kinking of the tubing) an examination of the catheter structure revealed no potential damage/defect related to manufacture of the product.The damage location suggested that catheter securement, access and maintenance techniques may have contributed.
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