Despite no reported accidents or injuries, in time Acura believes that “prolonged, high under-hood temperatures” could significantly weaken the vehicle’s power steering system, thus creating a fluid leak. This fluid leak would not only lead to loss of the power steering capability, but if it leaks onto a catalytic converter, it could result in smoke and in certain cases, a fire.

Acura’s recent statement about the 2007-2008 Acura encourages drivers to receive a “heat resistant” hose replacement at the nearest authorized dealer as soon as possible, completely free of charge. In order to reach all drivers, the company also will be mailing out official notifications to vehicle owners starting in June.

Concerned Acura TL owners can contact Acura at (800) 382-2238 and dial 4 or just visit the company’s webpage at www.recalls.acura.com for more information regarding the recall.

Sources:
Acura
Christian Science Monitor

Tots in Mind recalled the play yard tents in July 2010 and offered a repair kit that is no longer available. The company is no longer in business and has stopped all sales. The CPSC urges parents and caregivers to stop using these crib tents and play yard tents immediately, and not to attempt to repair these products.

The crib tents and play yard tents can present an entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants and toddlers if the dome portion inverts inside the crib or play yard, or if the product becomes partially detached from the crib or play yard.

CPSC is aware of 27 tent failures including one fatality and one serious injury that occurred between January 1997 and April 2012 from these products.In 2008, a two year old boy died after becoming entrapped between the bottom rail of a play yard tent and the top rail of a play yard. In 2007, a two year old boy sustained a catastrophic brain injury when the crib tent affixed to his crib tent inverted and the product’s broken rod trapped him at the neck.

The remaining 25 reports to CPSC involved inverted crib tents — entrapments between the tent and the crib/play yard or failures of the tent fabric and zippers. Three of these 25 reports also resulted in injuries; in one such case, a parent reported finding her child turning blue and entrapped between the product and the top rail of the play yard.

The recall includes various models of about 330,000 crib or play yard tents. Consumers can identify their tent by the 2”x 1½” label with Tots In Mind logo located on the non-mesh portion near the top of the tent.

Since Tots in Mind, Inc. is out of business, retailers who sold these products have stepped up to offer refunds or store credit to consumers. The recalled products were sold at numerous retail stores including Bed Bath & Beyond/Buy Buy Baby, Burlington Coat Factory, Toys R Us/Babies R Us, Walmart and online on websites including Amazon.com, for between $60 and $85.

Consumers should contact the store where their crib tent was purchased to receive a refund or a store credit.

The recall involves one lot of Hydromorphone Injection, USP, 1 mg/mL (C-II), 1 mL fill in 2.5 mL Carpuject, NDC 0409-1283-31. The product is a prefilled glass cartridge for u se with the Carpuject Syringe system. The affected lot number is 07547LL, and the expiration date is July 1, 2013. It was distributed between September and October 2011. It was initially distributed to wholesalers and a limited number of hospitals in a limited number of hospitals in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The recall was issued because of two reported complaints that a single Carpuject, or pre-filled syringe system, contained more than the 1 mL labeled fill volume.

Hydromorphone is a very potent centrally acting analgesic drug in the opioid class. It is a derivative of morphine and is considered a narcotic. It is used to relieve moderate to severe pain and severe, painful dry coughing. It is becoming more popular in the treatment of chronic pain and is considered 6-8 times stronger than morphine.

Healthcare facilities have been told what measures to take. Any side effects with this or any other drug should be reported to the Food and Drug Administration MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program at www.FDA.gov/MedWatch/report/htm.

Source: FDA

This recall involves 9-inch and 13-inch Kennedy International folding step stools. The step stools are plastic and have a handle for carrying the stools when they are folded. The style number is 3575 for the 9-inch and 3576 for the 13-inch step stools. The style number is printed on a sticker on one of the legs of the stool. “Kennedy Home Collection” is also printed on a label on some of the stools.

They were sold at HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx and other retailers nationwide from January 2010 through January 2012 for between $8 and $12. They were sold in the following colors: blue, green, gray, red, purple, pink, orange, turquoise, aqua, white, plum, orchid, emerald, sapphire, sangria, ocean, sage, fuchsia, lime and various color combinations.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled step stools and contact Kennedy International to receive a full refund. For additional information, contact Kennedy International toll-free at (855) 270-8301 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.kennedy-intl.com.

Source: CPSC

The vinyl slides have a blue base, yellow sliding mat and an arch going over the top of the slide. By connecting a hose to the top of the slide, water can be sprayed on its downward slope. The words ‘Banzai Splash’ are printed in a circular blue, orange and white logo, shaped like a wave on either side of the slide.

The recalled slides, which were manufactured in China by Manley Toys, Ltd, were sold at Walmart and Toys R Us nationwide from January 2005 through June 2009 for about $250. The recalled slides have the bar code number 2675315734 and model number 15734. Both the bar code and model number appear on the original packaging but are not on the actual slide.

A 29-year-old Colorado woman died in Andover, Mass., after fracturing her neck going down the slide, which had been placed over the concrete edge of the pool. The victim hit her head at the bottom of the slide because it had partially deflated. The CPSC and retailers are aware of two other injuries that occurred in a similar manner, including a 24-year-old man who became quadriplegic and a woman who fractured her neck.

The slide also is unstable and can topple over in both still and windy conditions, and carries inadequate warnings and instructions.

CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop using the product and return it to the nearest Walmart or Toys R Us for a full refund. Consumers can also cut the two safety warning notices out of the slide and just return that portion.

For additional information from Walmart, call (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.walmartstores.com. For additional information from Toys R Us, call (800) 869-7787 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, or visit the firm’s website at www.toysrus.com.

Source: CPSC

The recall involves the Sportspower BouncePro 14′ Trampolines with brown mesh netting. UPC codes 68706404210 and 68706404244 are printed on the trampoline box. “Sportspower BouncePro 14″ and “TR-14-63-A” are printed on a plate on the leg of the trampoline frame. The trampolines are surrounded by brown netting measuring about 6 feet high on the perimeter of the trampoline. The netting is designed to contain individuals bouncing on the trampoline.

These trampolines were sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide from February 2009 through February 2012 for about $275. Consumers should stop using the trampolines immediately and contact Sportspower to receive replacement black netting for the trampoline.

For additional information, contact Sportspower’s customer service hotline toll-free at (888)-965-0565 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at http://www.sportspowerltd.net/recall-bouncepro-14ft.html, or send an e-mail to Sportspower at customerservice@sportspowerltd.net.

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

“It is tragic and unforgivable – particularly in light of today’s medical testing capabilities – that a man could undergo heart surgery and survive the risks associated with such a complex surgery, only to learn months later that he contracted HIV from a tainted blood transfusion he received during surgery,” said Beasley Allen lawyer Mike Andrews, who is representing Mr. Midkiff and his wife, Dorothy. “A tainted blood supply puts everyone at risk.”

The lawsuit alleges the blood contaminated with HIV was collected by LifeSouth in Dale County, Ala., from “John Doe” on October 14, 2010. Mr. Midkiff was admitted to Baptist Medical Center in Montgomery, Ala., on October 18, 2010 for coronary bypass grafting. During his surgery, Mr. Midkiff received a transfusion of blood and blood components provided by LifeSouth. In May 2011, LifeSouth discovered the distributed blood products tested positive for HIV and notified Baptist Medical Center. After blood testing in June 2011, Mr. Midkiff was diagnosed as being HIV-positive.

The lawsuit claims LifeSouth negligently provided blood infected with HIV, and negligently designed and/or failed to implement reasonable screening, handling and testing procedures that could have prevented the dissemination of blood contaminated with HIV.

 
Watch: Beasley Allen lawyer Mike Andrews talks about LifeSouth lawsuit with WSFA
Read the Official Complaint
FDA Warning Letter to LifeSouth

Beasley Allen attorney Rhon Jones serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, which has been working on the consolidated litigation. He says the settlement will allow folks affected by the spill to have their claims paid in a “fair, efficient, transparent process.”

The Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and spilling an estimated 206 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf. Beaches, wetlands, and other ecologically sensitive marine environments from Louisiana to Florida were awash in oil and tar during the spill, and scientists remain uncertain about the scope and duration of the damage.

BP and plaintiffs’ attorneys reached an agreement March 2 that allocates billions of dollars for medical claims and economic damages. Judge Barbier issued preliminary approval orders for the Medical Settlement Class and the Economic & Property Damage Settlement Class.

Read the Preliminary Approval Order – Medical Settlement Class

Read the Preliminary Approval Order – Economic & Property Damage Settlement Class

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation recently granted motions to create MDLs against three transvaginal mesh manufacturers and transfer the MDLs to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, under Chief Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Centralizing the litigation in the Southern District of West Virginia makes the pretrial proceedings more efficient, conserves judicial resources and avoids the risk of inconsistent rulings.

The recent JPML order created MDLs against American Medical Systems, Inc. (MDL No. 2325), Boston Scientific Corp. (MDL No. 2326) and Johnson & Johnson (MDL No. 2327). Since 2010, Judge Goodwin has also been overseeing a MDL against another transvaginal mesh manufacturer, C.R. Bard, Inc. (In re Avaulta Pelvic Support Systems Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2187).

On April 13, Judge Goodwin held a hearing to consider what MDL attorneys will be appointed to serve as counsel for the plaintiffs in the consolidated transvaginal mesh litigation. Leigh O’Dell was appointed as a member of the Plantiffs’ Steering Committee for all four MDLs.

The cases involve lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country by women who have suffered injuries after being implanted with vaginal mesh products for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and/or stress urinary incontinence. According to the FDA, reported complications from of the transvaginal placement of the mesh include erosion of the mesh into vaginal tissue, organ perforation, pain, infection, painful intercourse and urinary and fecal incontinence. Often women require surgery to remove the mesh. In some cases, this can require multiple procedures without successful removing all of the mesh.

“This is very worthwhile and necessary litigation,” Leigh says. “There are thousands of women who have been injured and are suffering, and many of them are only just learning this mesh may be the cause of their suffering. I feel honored to be able to work on their behalf, and hope to prevent other women from having to go through this same thing in the future.”

Currently, Leigh is investigating cases involving mesh manufactured by American Medical Systems, Bard, Boston Scientific, Caldera, and Johnson & Johnson.

For more information, visit our page on transvaginal mesh, or the bladder sling website.

TESTIM is a prescription medicine used to treat adult males who have low or no testosterone. It is a testosterone-containing gel that is applied to the skin of the shoulders and upper arms. Secondary exposure to testosterone in children and women can occur with the use of testosterone gel in men. Reported cases involved children ranging in age from 9 months to 7 years old.

Physicians should advise patients of the reported signs and symptoms of secondary exposure, which may include the following:

• In children: unexpected sexual development including inappropriate enlargement of the penis or clitoris, premature development of pubic hair, increased erections, aggressive behavior and advanced bone age.
• In women: changes in hair distribution, increase in acne, or other signs of testosterone effects.

TESTIM is manufactured for Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., by DPT Laboratories, Ltd. It was approved by the FDA in October 2002. There were approximately 400,000 prescriptions dispensed for Testim 1% in 2008.

Since the initial marketing approval of testosterone gel in 2000 to May 2009, FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) has received 20 pediatric postmarket reports of secondary exposure to topical testosterone gel.

The FDA placed a boxed warning about the risks of TESTIM 1% to children and women in September 2009, as well as updated safety labeling changes to the Warnings, Precautions and Adverse Reactions sections of the label.

The area where the gel is applied should be covered, and patients are warned that others should not come into contact with the skin where the gel was applied.

The possibility of secondary exposure to testosterone gel should be brought to the attention of a health care provider.

In at least one reported case of secondary exposure to testosterone in children, the reporter considered the possibility of secondary exposure from items such as the testosterone gel user’s shirt and other fabrics such as towels and sheets.

In most cases, signs and symptoms of testosterone exposure regressed with the removal of the testosterone gel exposure. However, there were cases where enlarged genitalia did not fully return to age appropriate normal size, and bone age remained modestly greater than chronological age.

Sources:

FDA

FDA Newsletter