The Human Toll of Philips’ Massive CPAP Recall: With Every Breath
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- “With Every Breath,” a new documentary from ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is an intimate glimpse into what happens when people learn that Philips Respironics’ CPAP machine may be causing harm.
The film braids together the stories of three people, who face the unanswerable question of how their health has been impacted, and a sleep medicine doctor who leads her patients through the chaotic recall. The film humanizes a public health crisis that has affected millions and whose scope may not be known for years, if ever.
Weaving together personal stories with lush cinematography, this 20-minute film is directed by Liz Moughon and produced by Almudena Toral. It accompanies the investigative series also called “With Every Breath,” published by ProPublica in partnership with the Post-Gazette: www.propublica...
Margaret Fleming, Nicole Tan and Bridgette Adu-Wadier from the Northwestern University's Medill Investigative Lab contributed to this report.
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I’m a family physician and I had 2 patients die of interstitial lung disease that I’m sure was from their CPAP machines. That was the worst product recall I could ever imagine. We couldn’t help our patients. Phillips wasn’t answering the phone. We couldn’t get replacement machines. I hope Phillips has to pay big.
I was an RN for 30 years and retired. One of the last tasks I worked on was getting a replacement machine for a patient that the insurance company wouldn't replace. They kept saying that Phillips had to replace it. It finally took me 4 months to get a new replacement for her through the insurance. Phillips never returned my calls.
How can you be so sure? Do you think that's a scientific way of thinking?
@@cebruthius "Phillips wasn’t answering the phone." That is why...
I'm hate-filled toward Phillips and will avoid any and all future products of theirs. They rank right up there with Anthony Fauci.
Im not sure when this came to light. I do remember the craz. My dad had interupted sleep his entire life and died at 85. This is more normal then people think. When this craze was at its peak if 100 people took a sleep study all of them would be placed on cpap. It is not defective machines as much as defective ideas that makes lots of money. At least cpap was not made mandtory to keep your job and not become homeless so theres that.
This is shameful! As a CPAP user, I find this to be shocking. The company should be sued to oblivion. Thank goodness I never used this product...The patients should have gotten a different brand of CPAP immediately, paid for by Phillips.
Some did, that is why many of us who's machines were at the end of its life had to wait over a year.
Oh they will just do the usual corporat American thing- file for BANKRUPTCY, reorganized as a new" company and leave everyone holding the bag, that's what W.R Grace Co did when they were finally caught covering up the deadly ASBESTOS contamination of their vermiculite mine used for making their Zonolite attic insulation.
They knew for DECADES about this and kept it quiet, and when the lawsuits came they just - filed for BANKRUPTCY, reorganized as a new" company and left everyone holding the bag, and they are still in business today.
After the owner died suddenly, an electronics manufacturing company I worked for stopped buying electronic components and integrated circuits from Phillips, its subsidiaries and their industry partners, yes they make more than CPAP machines. Now I finally understand why.
👍👍👍 Absolutely!
This is evil.
Working at Fedex all of 2022, we packed and shipped multiple Phillips machines every single day, due to the recall. It's horrible that Respironics waited 11 years before this was brought to light 😡
I didn't know that many of those people faced this struggle 😢
horrific
You mean packed them to go back to the company, or packed new ones going to patients' homes?
Proof companies will never do the good thing on their own and that capitalism without regulation is a surefire way to doom society.
@@audreymuzingo933Probably to go back to the company. FedEx stores offer packing.
@@audreymuzingo933 likely back. Fedex will pickup packages at your house.
Who goes to prison? The answer is always the same when these “virtual people” corporations hurt the public: nobody.
I swear you're everywhere in the RUclips comments.
@@talananiyiyaya8912 honestly I don't know how he does it. 😂
Hell yeah Tay, give ‘em some of that CHOCOLATE RAAAAAAAIIIIN!!!
aye, everyone who knew something about this and didnt say anything should receive 5-10 years mandatory!
You must be everywhere to know he is there, lol😅
Stumbling across this documentary is absolutely heartbreaking as I was once a Resperonics employee from 05/08. I had no idea that by collecting a paycheck, I indirectly harmed others. I am truly sorry to those who have been affected by Phillips' negligence.
As an employee, you would be the last to know of the harm. My pre-Phillips, flawless, Respironics saved both my life and the quality of it. I am truly grateful to you and your company, and I'm sure I speak for many others. What happened after dollar signs took control is not your fault. Have a happy and safe holiday. Thanks again.
You are not to blame, nor should you feel in way responsible.
Very human feeling. You are a good person. Not your fault.
respironics was acquired by Phillips in 2008, so at least for 3-4 years you weren't any way related to this. the foam issue started in 2010.
good on you.❤
The documentary "The Bleeding Edge" is about the medical device industry and the FDA. It's a must watch.
YOu want to see something frightening? Watch some of the vids about the infamous "Therac".....they should make a horror film about THAT machine. I was in the medical industry at one point. The "Therac" incident was a text book example for software testing....
Excellent
When I saw that foam insert, I immediately thought of polyurethane. It's the same substance that makes faux leather fall apart after a few years and that makes 'soft touch' plastic surfaces become sticky over time. It has a built-in self destruction mechanism.
It's bad enough to use it in every-day consumer products, but using in medical devices that are supposed to be used for many years is downright criminal. I can't believe so many people have suffered due to these poor choices.
The thing I don't get - it was there just to make it quieter. As a user just remove it. As a manufacturer just replace it with something natural or leave it out. These things are noisy anyway, ship earplugs - I've been sleeping with them for about 10 years now, I don't even hear my wife snoring.
Planned obsolescence. They need sick people to keep that $$$ coming in but as they kill everyone off there is less $$$. As the government engorges itself on the $$$ tree there is less money(inflation). They are killing humanity through their greed and insanity.
You wouldn't have so much corporate mischief, shortcuts, and crookedness if you got rid of the corporate welfare known as LIMITED LIABILITY.
The whole concept of incorporating is PROTECTION of the heads from personal liability, you can only sue the "corporation" while the heads keep their $3 million McMansion, 6 cars and all the rest.
The basic idea correctly applied as originally intended is sound. That idea being if you invest in a company, and it fails, then *provided you haven't done anything criminal or negligent,* you will only lose your original investment.
Similarly if you were an employee operating in good faith you could not be held personally financially liable for if someone had a complaint.
It was only ever intended for civil matters, for deciding financial liability, and never was intended for criminal cases.
But some lawyer somewhere told an almighty whooper of a lie: limited companies also protect employees and officers of a limited company from criminal prosecution if the crimes were committed while they were about their business. Why any judge accepts that argument is beyond me.
Getting oxygen at night through my BiPAP machine makes me feel and act decades younger than I did before. I couldn’t live two and a half years without it, like that one person has had to do. My heart goes out to these poor people.
I used a Respironics very successfully and without incident during the time it took me to lose 75 pounds. Now at normal weight, I don't need it.
Sorry too.
It is utterly reprehensible that Phillips put this BS foam instead of using any of the established and safe types available to them.
Probably some power tripping manager, cutting corners for a raise for himself. 😢
Have you ever watched a video of how foam is made? Foam is a cocktail of many chemicals. Thermodynamics say that everything succumbs to entropy; decays back to nature. Take out the foam, it makes no difference in sound under a usage of 5 anyway. Engineering 101.
its not impossible to trace purchase orders and who signed off on them@@PatrickTravisKelly
Pure greed. Evil. 🙏🏻 praying for those affected 😢.
First of this I'm hearing... Think my husband has this machine and has been complaining about his chest hurting for years. :(
Interesting. I live in Hillsboro, OR and saw Dr. Breadon featured in this story. She prescribed the Dream machine not long before the recall. She and her staff were absolutely NO help at all, her staff told me to use it anyway, that not that many people were affected. I stopped using it and will NEVER go back to Pacific Sleep Center or Dr. Brendon again.
WOW
I have one of these machines through my NHS Sleep Clinic. They said it was going to be replaced. I have the same machine back, with the foam removed, although studies are showing that refurbished machines are still having issues because the foam gets into the motor and STAYS THERE, sometimes causing particles to get into the hose. I should look again at getting a different machine. My Sleep Apnea never really improved since getting a machine, my stats are poor.
Interesting to see patients speaking their truth in these comments.
My doctor said there was probably some risk from using it, but also risk from not using a CPAP. This is the first I’ve heard of cancer and lung issues being fairly common.
At least in my case, I think my doctor was using the best info he had available at the time, but it wasn’t much. I’m not sure you should fault the doctor if it was really cover-up by Phillips.
Just keep using the machine was what most people did. My niece had a BiPAP from them for use at night and day. She had to use it so their respiratory therapist cobbled together a inline filter between the machine and the humidifier. Word spread of this, Phillips "tested" the set up and said that the air coming from the humidifier would clog the filter and alter the intended pressure. They said not to use the filter... but the filter was supposed to be on the machine side not the humidifier side. They tested the wrong set up so therapy clinics and insurance couldn't cover the cost of the filters.
My brother used a CPAP for many years (probably the “best” one because he had excellent insurance), then he caught a rare leukemia that started in his neck and he died eight months later, at age 42. I wonder if the CPAP is to blame.
I'm so sorry. I wouldn't be surprised. I had my own issues w a CPAP. It ruined my sinuses. When telling that to a medical professional they said they had heard that. This was a few yrs ago. I stopped using my CPAP after 5 yrs. Every medical issue I've had had been IATROGENIC. Please look up that word and become very familiar w it.
My sister just passed away last May and she started with a lump on her neck below the jaw. They removed it and it started to return. Then she was stage 4 bladder cancer last year in the fall and too late. She used a CPAP for many years and I’m sure it could have contributed from what I’ve been reading.
@@dustyflats3832 I’m so sorry for your loss.
@@stj971 I don't know why people are surprised. If you had cancer and they gave you all the treatments to the point you can't take it anymore, then they stop caring about you. They already got your money. They already got their use out of you. That is the medical/food/pharma industry. Doctors aren't taught to actually fix people's health issues. They know almost nothing about proper diet. And many medications don't do anything but cause more healthy issues. They know this.
@@stj971Heart disease is NOT the #1 cause of death in the US. It’s iatrogenic causes. Dr Michael Greger states in his book How Not to Die that iatrogenic causes is #3. Wanting to know more, I read the report that Dr Greger references when concluding it’s #3. The report is understating the number of deaths because it only includes errors committed inside medical facilities. It doesn’t include my father who was sent home to die. If you want to know more, do an internet search on the term “To Err is Human” or get the book by the same name at your local library.
I started CPAP just as this Phillips scandal was coming to light. My order was delayed for 3 months because of the need for my healthcare providers to reorder another brand and they ALL had long wait times due to Phillips patients scrambling for new CPAPs and the manufacturers overwhelmed making ventilators too during the pandemic. It was a huge mess all over the world made worse because of Phillips stalling and foot dragging.
Luckily for me I was slow to get tested for sleep apnea (money issues) and I luckily skipped the Phillips crap-tastic junk cpap and got a virtually unheard of brand called Luna II. The Luna II is fantastic! The machine is small quiet and made to be easy to work with. Also no huge Phillips sized issues, no issues at all and no billing issues.
No doubt millions were unfairly wronged by Phillips and thousands probably died from their swindling and duplicity, but as Phillips would say "You can't prove that." Jail time, and the return of the ill gotten money for executives that brought this about would stop these sort of scams from happening. If you're a small time criminal you go to prison, if you're a big time criminal you get a 3rd beach home in Bali. Disgusting.
Phillips is a very large, old, international electronics company.
Jeez, not until reading your comment did it even occur to me how bad the timing was, with the pandemic. -Just as an eBay seller of vintage what-nots I've observed the dramatic postal interruptions, especially from late 2020 to early 2022, just from people doing more shopping online rather than risk infection in brick-and-mortar stores, but that convenience became a lasting habit for many, so postal traffic will probably never go back down to what it was before. Then on top of that, we're talking about a medical ventilation device, at a time when millions of poeple were having their respiratory systems permanently scarred by a virus!!
That's the issue, they are used to making average products but making healthcare machines required a level of empathy nd care Phillips business culture didn't have.@@stj971
@@audreymuzingo933All timed conveniently! Funny Gates & Obama promised it in 2015 & 2017!
@@cristineconnell7803 I don't know what you mean.
Prayers to all the victims of Philips Respironics of the nightmare “dream” machine.
Yep my husband was one of those people that had this device. Worst part is we held onto that stupid machine for 2 1/2 years, finally threw it away last week bc we are moving and packing and NOW we get a letter in the mail saying if we return it we will get $100 for it. What a freakin joke.
That’s EXACTLY what happened to me! Just threw mine out a month ago. Got a letter this week. What a joke is right.
Same here. We had moved and went back to our previous city to check on our property to find the new CPAP sitting on the porch in the rain!! It had been there quite a while, because the box had been wet more than once! 😠
I will add that my CPAP was several years older and I had purchased the cleaner to go with it. When the recall came out, I immediately got another brand’s new machine. I also have the one they sent as a replacement and ONLY use it as a backup!
I just received that email too. I paid over 3k for my bi-pap machine. I am so unsure how to pursue this. They have fought me left and right about sending a new machine.
I was offered $20 😂
We never got a letter or offer. Bought two new Resmed machines at huge cost as soon as we heard about recall. Recently received a notice from Amazon that the Resmed headgear we bought with magnets has a recall. But we have kept the recalled machines in case we can get refunded for them.
I can't go one night without a cpap, not ever, and was glad I'd been put on a Resmed machine when this thing happened. My medical supply company is always good about replacing machines if there's a technical issue, but I can't imagine the scale of this.
I now have IPF and started the CPAP in 2019 after a sleep test. Cat scan showed a few tiny nodules that the lung doctor said weren’t large enough to worry about. As the years went on my lungs seemed worse. I stopped using the Phillips CPAP after they announced recall on the DREAM STATION. 2023 CATSCAN showed IPF both lungs both lobes . I had so many things I wanted to do. So now I have a bucket list that has been modified a few times. I am praying we all able to receive compensation for their suffering and reduced life span
Sounds like me, doctor said to keep an eye on it back in 2019. Never did
11 years.......they knew about it and said nothing.......
Excellent reporting ProPublica. Keep fighting the good fight.
As an user ..never heard of any recall on our machines till seeing this RUclips...December 22 2023😢🤯
Same March 6 2024
Same
My entire family has obstructive sleep apnea, but I am the youngest and wasn't diagnosed until early 2021. There was already a shortage due to the pandemic, so I couldn't get a loaner machine through my HMO to see if it would even help. I was having several different health things going on and so really needed to get sleep under control. Then the recall hit shortly after and I knew I would never get a machine so I went to my dentist since mine was mild. I thought I could get a mouthpiece to wear. Now the orthodontists want to break your jaw and reset it. $10k for the surgery minimum and another $10k for braces after. Hell no! I eventually found a state of the art program that involves myofunctional exercises (like PT for your mouth and tongue) plus an appliance that is expanding my bite and growing my jaw. I am almost finished! I had to pay out of pocket, but the device has now been approved for not just mild sleep apnea, but more severe cases as well. Hopefully, insurance will begin to cover it in the future. It also can treat TMJ. Pretty amazing. It's called the DNA Appliance. Feeling grateful that I found the dentists I did when I did.
Now for my rant - We have to get profits and greed out of healthcare. Why are we locking up people for Marijuana or magic mushrooms and letting these white collar criminals go? Racism. Classism. We need to wake up. Citizens United has destroyed our democracy. It's about to crumble before our eyes and once again the rich will not only survive, but profit off of our misery.
👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
You actually have fatty tongue syndrome! Even if you don’t look overweight, you can have this. Sleep apnea is a symptom, not an actual disease.
There's is no such thing as getting greed and profits out of healthcare. Just like there is no such thing as getting greed and profits out of politics.
@@azsunburns Airplanes will never fly. We can close the US patent office because everything has been invented. Man cannot travel faster than 40mph, else he may die. Galileo is a heretic and false prophet. Just wanted to point out that things can and do change, if our motives are good, we adhere to the truth and we stay vigilant and active in our fight.
I went thru the process of being fitted for a dental device. When I became aware that my mouth would be unable to open when wearing the device, my claustrophobia kicked in and they did warn if you were claustrophobic. Never did get the damn thing, I never could have worn it.
I was used as a human guinea pig for the ATTUNE knee. I was left in pain and suffering for life. I couldn’t even get an attorney to talk to me let alone represent me
Same thing happened to me
@@Piper-Ileoaw1946 I live in Minnesota. Summit Orthopedics used me!
We, in what is defined for us as a " wonderful country " , are subjected to horrors ( mental and physical damage ) due to legal protections used by " agents " paid to serve, be truthful & provide top of the line medical care for people who have no alternative but to trust. In more and more instances..,. What a tragic circumstance. It's happened,.... happening to me and I know of many many more.
That's just deplorable. Keep fighting!
@@abberepair8288Stop blaming. Don’t consent to be used!
OMG!! I have had sleep apnea for over 25 years and was never told anything about this recall happening from my pulmonary doctor even though I've been steadily declining as the drummer in this video!!! Yet I'm getting absolutely no help or advice as to why my breathing is horrible! They won't even look down my throat!!!!!! How do I get the healthcare I am in so desperate need of!?!?!?!?
I’m sorry what ur going thru.. I came across this video ,but heard this few yrs ago..The MSM never talks about the life threatening from these big companies etc..
I on Resmed I think their out of Aus.. I thank god but I do
Have some of same issues, I do have a lesion on my vocal, I don’t smoke at all.. I do have a chronic cough,migraines.but the ResMed says it doesn’t use foam like Philips…
The kids dad use this machine keeps using it, he has alot of those issues, they told him they still behind in sending out..
I would suggest go to Ear,Nose,throat, they take scope down.., I wouldn’t mention Philips unless down the line some Drs don’t want to be involved with this recall.. I get the testing done and get a copy of ur results..
Then I do research or find another sleep doctor.. my heart goes out to all what Philips has done.. they should reimbursed so u can get different brand cpap machine.. I would never trust them again.. find u attorney that deals with these recalls good one.. I hope u the best….
Find a good primary care.
@@starrystarrynight6281 only OSF is available in central Illinois. They have been seeing me all along. I have to travel a minimum of 2.5 hours to another primary care physician other than OSF. OSF has a ban on me from seeing any of their doctors due to me cursing at the last doctor because they're acting like there's nothing wrong with me when there is. I'm barely able to care for myself due to the difficulty I'm having breathing. But because they can't identify a cause they throw inhalers at me and they don't work well enough. It helps but not enough to allow me to work a job and even do many things recreationally. I hear gurgling in my throat occasionally and I have recently been having trouble swallowing. Yet I'm getting nowhere. They do have Carle Clinic here and that's currently my primary care physician but so far he's treated me the same. No help and no explanation to my trouble breathing other than weight. But I wasn't overweight until these breathing issues began so my weight is a result of the difficulty breathing not the cause. They're completely failing to get it right even though I'm telling them this! IDK what else to do other than make that commute yet my health has gotten so bad a 5 hour round trip is no longer possible for me very easily. Much pain to endure that drive or train ride. With no obvious reasons why I'm struggling to breathe IDK that there's anything they can do. But it would be nice to get a diagnosis which so far I have nothing. I'm barely able to hold on to the disability benefits I'm currently receiving and my fear is these doctors wanting to try and push me off disability when I'm still unable to work!
Are you on Philips or ResMed? Big difference. Also, as you grow older and gain weight your pressure must increase.
same, I just so happened to notice cpap being recalled in my youtube feed. I've used a phillips sleep mapper for several years/ It's so old it is probably not in the recall because noone is really using them anymore. This is so scary. I've lost over 250 pounds and still have sleep apnea so now I will have to call my doc and see what I need to do and hell no don't give me another phillips
I was using the Philips cpap, when I lost 100 lbs I don’t need it anymore. Thank God I’m off this death trap.
The funny thing is they want you to send your old one to them so you’ve got no evidence to prove in court if their wrongdoing. Don’t mail your old ones back. Get an attorney- no fee until it settles or win in trial. If lose in trial still no fees. Even if you smoke or have copd please call an attorney people. Please!
way too late for that for most of us; sent back long time ago.
I am an attorney. Needless to say, I kept my original machine.
Don't send the old one back May be used in evidence.. I'm holding on to mine..You never know
I'm sorry what now!? A dude was still using the machine after it was recalled "because he couldn't pay for a replacement". I'm sorry what!? This is a recall. So it should be a new one. This should have been being done from 11 years ago. These people need to be putting in place a class action.
I’ve seen people wait years for a replacement.
👍 Absolutely! The double standard in being responsible to follow the laws must not be allowed to continue!
There is a class action, my mom's part of it, my dad used it over 30 years and just died of kidney failure, I believe from this.
I need a bipap it’s been over 2 years and I have not gotten a replacement yet
It took them a year or two to get the replacements out.
Wow! This documentary was very sad and enlightening. I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea, but instead of using a CPAP machine right away, I instead ordered a foam wedge pillow from Amazon in order to elevate my head and torso at an inclined position and thereby prevent my tongue from blocking my throat while sleeping. The wedge pillow seems to be working well for me.
My CPAP machine arrived in the mail a few weeks ago but I never opened the delivery box. After seeing this video I highly doubt that I ever will open the box to my CPAP machine...
Does the pillow work, would to know thanks
The wedge pillow actually does work for me in regards to reducing the symptoms of my sleep apnea. I can easily sleep for 3.5 to 4 hours continuously using my wedge pillow.
Thanks will try to get one, happy holidays ☮️
That's silly. The foam that was the problem isn't in the machines anymore.
BTW: I wonder when I'll see my settlement money?
Change to the Carnivor diet your sleep ap will go away.
Let me guess.
These bums at Phillips have known about this for years if not decades.
Merka.
It wasn't just CPAP machines either. It was a wide range of respiratory equipment including respirators.
@@bevbass7083You mean ventilators.
Yeah. The only evil people in the world. All other people live in Heavenly, purely righteous countries
Yes, America sucks...
But Philips is a Dutch company, sooo...
@@LethargicSquirrel
So they weren’t sold in the US by corporate entities?
The replacement device Phillips sent out is flimsy in comparison to the Dreamstation. I received approval from my insurance in November 2021 to receive a new CPAP of my choice. The local suppliers of CPAP equipment for my area (DFW) will not ship a unit to my doctor. About time to call and remind them that I still do not have a new CPAP. They say they can only get it from their certified suppliers. Total bureaucratic bs.
UPDATE- I just watched a new report by PBS News that the Dreamstation 2 and upgraded foam Dreamstation 1 units have received test results showing dangerous levels of off gassing chemical(s). Philips is a truly evil corporation.
Pro publica is on our side.
I don't mind dying' in my sleep, but I don't want to be 'killed' in my sleep.☠️
Not using the machine gets you to that goal a lot quicker than using the machine.
I have never used one, despite the tests that prove I need it. Looks like I was right again. All medical interventions are risky, not safe and make me worse off.
@@periculumesse1525 Stupidest thing I've read all year. There are about 10 other manufacturers to choose from.
I too had my Phillips c- pap recalled , replaced , now the buzzards offered me the$100! I started chewing gum non-stop, switched to nose breathing and now I mouth tape instead.The behemoth that is our modern health- insurance pyramid excels at treating acute conditions, keeping you alive to pay your premiums , but sadly not much for chronic conditions!
They should be held accountable, and massive payouts should be made.
WHOA DUDE DID YOU JUST COME UP WITH THAT OPINION ALL BY YOURSELF???
Yet another case of the world being over fascinated by "quiet".
And anyone who's ever dealt with that type of foam knows exactly how it breaks down and what it becomes.
There's no *way* they didn't.
payouts? im thinking jail time if not the death penalty in states where that is the legal remedy for murder.
Phillips problem is they turned into a sales and marketing business, literally sacking off their technical staff at Tangmere and outsourcing everything. Having worked in electronic engineering for over 20 years, I know that when a company does this it's usually because their technical staff have been raising issues that conflict with making profit, meeting targets and getting those KPIs.
In outsourcing they're just saying "this is what we want, do this", and nobody can turn around and say "hey we think this is potentially dangerous".
I have one of these affected machines, and use it only for trips. I've received several of these letters after registering with them. They offer $25/unit or a replacement device (but have to follow a process with your doctor to ensure you're prescribed one - I guess to keep people from scamming them for new machines to re-sell). I have a newer machine already, but feel like $25 is pretty low for them to wash their hands of this. I have no idea if I already have health issues that will become manifest later. I had heard LOOONG ago that there was degradation of piece inside, but that was it. No real warning as to how bad it was, etc. until I saw this video. Thank you for producing this!
Oh, boy, Phillips, talk is cheap. So grateful to have seen this video, as I am a user of one of these machines. It will keep me asking questions.
Wow..what is wrong with our government. They don’t care about us.this has to be terrifying living like this. 😢
No, our government does not look out for it's citizens, only if there is money in it for them. It is also apparent that the medical community does not look out for it's patients, only if there is money it it for them.
Big Pharma is corrupt and evil. (definition) Pharmacy is a combination of the Greek term * pharama form IE * bher- (to charm, enchant) and -(a)-ko- resulting in * pharmako- (magic, charm, cure, potion, medicine) and in Latin pharmacie. Chemist's shop is the English version of an American drugstore.
this was done by a corporation, not the gov. though it does deserve blame for not regulating this better
The governments want population reduction.
My wife was using the DreamStation One when I found out about the recall, searching for setting adjustment for her machine on RUclips.
After a bunch of back and forth with her doctor, and the supply company, we tossed it into the closet, and forced the doctor to write a new prescription, and we bought a ResMed unit (out of our own pockets, because insurance didn't want to pay for the new machine), because the supply company has a contract with Phillips to only provide Phillips machines, and they didn't want to provide anything else.
The difference in my wife's sleeping after getting the ResMed up and running, and her improvements since were night and day.
So then, a year an a half later, a box shows up with a replacement, USED DreamStation One in it.
It also has been thrown into the back corner of the closet.
Found out today that this is the machine my aunt was using for years... now she has interstitial lung disease.
I will never buy another Philips product.
Perhaps we should ask the public to join us in a COMPLETE Philips boycott. They make a lot of products and if they are capable of this who knows what's wrong with others...
I’ve never had an issue with any of their products except once and they promptly replaced it.
The only ones that will get financial gain will be the class action lawyers and Philips will feel the strong sting of a swift slap on the wrist. Dang.
Absolutely right.
A cement plant exposed me and my family to dangerous plant emissions making us all sick.
Girardi took our lawsuits...he got $41 million that his wife used to make a music video and to impress those who watched her appear on the "real housewives of Beverly Hills".
My family received $12,000 each/$9,000 after "costs".
Now it's revealed he robbed us all but nobody can get the $ from the wife as she still spends like a drunken sailor and Girardi is claiming dementia.
The law avenue simply gives you something to hope for I guess.
Took us 10 years to get what we got.
There giving you 100. If you send them machine, I threw mine 1 year before the recall… constant lung infections, they can keep their 100. Bucks…
Let's hope not
My husband and I both had a “nightmare” station for years. He has always slept well but even on cpap I suffer terrible insomnia. I signed us both up for replacement, His came quickly but mine took almost a year and even then it was a new part but not a whole machine. I stopped using mine after several months but my sleep dr said to use it. I had the run around from the company also. They told me to send the old part back but I kept it and told my husband if I die from this it’s stored in the closet have it analyzed!!! I’m a retired nurse that after Covid stopped trusting big pharma completely! And now I can’t even trust medical device companies!! Greed is so rampant in our world today! All these huge companies care about is money. Just a couple of weeks ago I received a letter telling me they would pay me $100 to return the old part. Not in a million years Phillips!! God’s judgment will come to us all one day!
@user-ix7bp1lc3t Amen!! All will face God and be judged.. Those who are part of knowingly pocketing the millions of $ at Phillips will have to answer to Him..
These beautiful families deserve so much better.
This is utterly heartbreaking and yet another sad indictment of the power of big corporations.
Wrongful death charges need to be raised immediately & corporate management charged, jailed & bail set high.
Corporations were never intended to care about Humans.
And Corporations get bug tax cuts because they provide jobs. When they go bad shouldn't they payback all of those tax cuts to their customers they've WRONGED?
A dear friend of mine contracted lung cancer from the particles of the foam in her lungs from her phillips cpap machine. She was never a smoker and had a clear chest x-ray a year prior to her beginning to use the phillips cpap machine. She passed away a year ago at New Years. I really miss her beautiful presence here on this plane of existence. Remembering you Rachel Morrison.
This is infuriating! Poor people. God bless us all❤
The scary thing about this is that Philips could have known about this problem and chose to do nothing because the problem of the foam decomposition could have caused more people to need to stay on their machines for longer, helping their bottom line. Hopefully this is not the case! There are several possibilities:
1. They intentionally engineered a foam that would degrade, intending to do harm for their financial gain, creating a problem that would further the use of their machines. This is the most severe case, and I don't think it's likely.
2. They did not intend the foam to degrade, but when they learned it was possibly causing further breathing problems, they chose to do nothing because it was increasing their sales, and a product recall could be a tremendous cost. This is middle-of-the-road, and I hope this is not the case, though it could be.
3. They knew about the foam degrading though never intended this to happen; they did nothing because a recall would have been costly, but they were not fully aware of the long-term health effects the problem posed until later, at which point they issued the recall. This is probably the most likely scenario.
However even if we assume they were ignorant, that still isn't a good look for a biomedical engineering company who should be fully aware of the dangers certain materials pose to patients in medical products! There are sadly countless other examples of this, such as with hip implants.
I've waited over 3 years for a new CPAP machine, still waiting with zero word from Philips or Respironics.
I'm a veteran of the USAF, served in OIF, and have a recalled bipap still. My sleep studies and bipap were unaffordable to me so I got my bipap through the VA.
I still have the recalled bipap.I have no choice. Philips isn't the worst company in the world, i know one much, much worse..... Philips took care of us veterans already, we all were issued replacements. I still have my recalled device.
I still have my recalled device. Why? The VA took the replacement bipaps and gave them to new patients. Love socialized medicine? Talk to a veteran.
I still have my recalled bipap. Yes Philips deserves to be sued. But..... you cannot sue the federal government (the VA) unless they give you permission to.
*_I'm scared._*
For me the story is worse. My Captian in Iraq wrote me up for being late to work, which happened a lot (i wasn't sleeping), yet this man, Captian Schomburg, actually cared about his soldiers, unlike my immediate supervisor, TSGT Gross..... so in the LOR he mentioned i might have a sleep disorder. (This captian also saved my life in Iraq, fyi.)
On his recommendation i visited doctors trying to find out what was wrong. The military doctors prescribed me sleeping pills, which could have killed me. I never received a diagnosis in the military, no sleep study, and having studied the subject (fighting for VA benefits which i still don't have,) i learned that the military does not want to diagnose soldiers with sleep apnea, _to save money._
I did everything, absolutely everything i could, i loved the military...... my computer played revele every morning. I had five other alarms. I begged people to check on me, wake me up. Nobody cared. My own supervisor in Iraw slept in the same tent with me.... People really don't like you if you have trouble getting up in the morning. I wound up with the largest Personel Information File in the Air Force.
*_Man is truly an island to himself._*
At this point, i don't know how much time i have. I won't be a loss to anybody. No wife or kids to leave behind. That was very smart on my part.
Just unbelievable. So sorry.
@@SergeantSquared So sorry to hear. If you are having other symptoms in addition to sleep may want to look closely at Lyme/Tickbourne disease.
Socialized medicine is what is keeping my partner alive, so with all due respect, you absolutely speak only for yourself.
He needs medicine 1x a month that costs well over 100,000 a year, dialysis 3x a week, etc. If not for disability, he wouldn't be here.
Out of all the 1000s of things my tax money could be spent on, investing in the health of my fellow Americans is one of the best uses of my money. Real Americans have a drive to help each other. The bootstrap and every man for himself is a hot load of bs
@@sandracrocker6143 My sleep disorder is caused by injuries.
I didn’t hear about the recall FOR YEARS! I finally got a new machine and guess who is the manufacturer? Philips!!! 😢
Their lack of concern for public health is so scary knowing they also manufacture so many health care items, like large diagnostic testing devices, defibrillators and products for newborns. I think there should be more individuals taking and being held to the Hippocratic oath! Thanks for sharing this investigation and information!
This is enlightening. I got the recall letter and my machine was one needing to be recalled. My GP didn't have any information about how to get a new machine but referred me to a new sleep doctor as my original one had retired. The new sleep doctor also had no information about the risks or why the machines were being recalled. She gave me a prescription for a new one. Thankfully I have extended health insurance that covers what the province doesn't. I'm just in shock that this is how I'm learning about why my machine was recalled. I developed asthma in the 10 years I've been using a CPAP machine and have lots of throat and sinus issues. Now I'm not only pissed at Respironics but the two doctors I've seen about it. Jeez! Does anyone care about us?
This is yet another abhorrent case of people being harmed so a company/corporation can keep making $. Sadly, they give big chucks of that $ to the relevant governing authorities and they all get fat while the unsuspecting public get completely screwed over! Smoking, asbestos, thalidomide all immediately jump to mind. It’s disgusting! My heart goes out to all those affected by this 😢
😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
I still have one of these machines. I had to BUY my own new machine not long after this recall came out. About 3 months ago I was contacted to get the replacement!
This is exactly why I’ve refused to use one. Eventually, I chose to lose 60 pounds instead.
In 2003 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and given a c- pap. Within a year I had a chronic upper respiratory infection.
I had cleaned the equipment as instructed and it made no difference. So I made the difficult decision to go au natural.
My Brother-in-law used one, and within five years he was gone from lung cancer. RIP Paul. I will share this video with my wife’s twin sister.
Your approach obviously saved your life, it also worked for me. The horror of the American diet has served the medical industry very well. Government sugar subsidies have made it easier than ever to commit slow, unwitting suicide. Let's see if YT will let this one slide.
I'm so very sorry for your loss.
My ex-husband resisted using his cpap. He snored like a freight train. He had surgery to remove fat in his throat. He had his tonsils out. Anything to keep from using the machine. He even quit smoking. He never had a weight problem at 5'10" and 155#. He broke down and started using it when his new wife complained. He felt alot better. So he figured he didnt need it!!! He stopped using the cpap and promptly had three heart attacks within weeks. I have heart failure, AFib, COPD with O2 usage 24/7 and cancer. I also stopped breathing over 500 times during the 6 hour sleep test. My cardiologist from Cleveland Clinic assured me my apnea destroyed my heart. I NEVER go to bed without my cpap. Its been 23 years and Im still here. I had the Dream Machine and got a replacement. Sleep apnea is serious. Treating it shouldnt be deadly.
@@queenbee3647 I was diagnosed with a ventricular heart defect. After several years of CPAP my cardiologist told me I now have no heart issues and the heart of someone who is half my age. I still use CPAP.
Mod this one up. Weight loss and regular exercise were the self-administered program that worked when I seemed to be developing sleep apnea. Fasting is amazing.
@@laulaja-7186Yes this is one way to assist in treating sleep apnea. However many who are not overweight also have sleep apnea. Might be a result of tongue ties. It's not even considered as a reason but it should be.
I started having a cough while on was on a CPAP. I stopped using the machine but still have the cough 8 years later.
I am a combat marine veteran of the gulfwar 0311 Rifleman. I was prescribed a Resmed CPAP, and so far, I gotten a new Resmed machine replacement when ever the others wear out, plus I get yearly supplies. I clean the hose, mask and tub every day. So far no problems.
Thank you for bringing this to our awareness
18:30 Those emerald green drums are beautiful! Don't doubt your Dad's judgment! 😊
My husband is still using his machine. I stopped using mine because I was having too many issues with allergy reactions. I'm showing him this video.
The info we got made it sound like it was just the external white filters that were the problem and were given replacements. Now I realize it is the internal construction of the machine.
As a c-pap (ResMed) user for the last 14 years, due to severe central sleep apnea (I'm slim, never smoked...), I can't imagine what these people had to suffer through. Why weren't they given a different machine right away? Is the manufacturer ever going to face the consequences of their shameful actions? Is there justice for the common people???
They must be held accountable!
All true. Cynically I think they’re dragging it out until there is a smaller number of co-defendants. That way. Their ULTIMATE payout ( and there WILL be one) will probably be less- they’re playing the long game- and Wang to beat the odds. I’m an RN who worked in both Big Pharma and Big Insurance Companies- quit both of them after realizing what went on behind closed doors. There was a book written about the Insurance Industry
“Delay, Deny, Defend”. This same title appears to apply to Medical Devices
We received paperwork last week. If my husband returns the machine he gets $100. $100 doesn’t cover a new machine.
Owners of these machines are getting $100. That’s it.
@@RedWillowFarmVaThat’s ridiculous 😮
My name has been 'on the list' to replace my machine from the beginning. After hearing nothing from Phillips, I voided my warranty, opened my machine and pulled out the cancerous foam. I
Unfortunately, I am now using a puffer (from my brief exposure?)
We need to take control of this situation ourselves and stop waiting for them to provide the solution.
Sadly the fda is not always honest, to what percent I cannot say but far too many cases have, in hindsite, proved the dollar is priority, NOT our health. Dispicable behavior!
The agency has been captured. They too are bought and paid for.
When most of your funding comes from pharmaceutical companies, you're probably not going to make the most ethical choices for the public
"Not always honest?" How about NEVER HONEST and FRAUDULENT?!
Comments are made just after a world wide Wuhan "situation".
I'm so tired of hearing of large corporations knowingly hiding life threatening information from their customers. Putting greed over ethics in every case!
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2016; my breathing stopped at least 30 times per hour which is considered severe. I was issued a Philips machine. When they began recalling machines I didn't know what to do. I had been on the machine 5 yrs at that point and the alternative was me not functioning--not being able to stay awake and all that comes with that. Philips solution was to stop using the machine. I contacted my doctor and asked what to do as I had been using a recalled machine. She was able to get me a Resmed machine as my insurance covers a new unit every 5 years. I ended up getting a replacement from Philips a year later. If I wasn't able to get a 5 year replacement my options would be to go without and have a year of misery or buy a machine outright--and machines on the low end are $400-$600
I've learned that using liquid on it (humidifier tray) deteriorates the foam and that's the real issue.
The first time I used the machine, I did with water and when I woke up, there was this stench coming out of my mouth, I decided to follow my grandmother's advice of fresh dry air to treat any lung ailments and never used the humidifier again. I don't have any problems with the machine, my breathing got way much better and the company actually called me to ask me if I wanted a new unit because of the recall, I explained I didn't have any problems with the one I was using and they sent me another anyway, it was here just days after they told me it was going to take a while.
I'm really sorry about all this people having issues but I myself I'm not having any with the machine itself. The crappie straps that hold the mask in place are another totally different story of design failure.
I had a Res Med but couldn't tolerate the humidifier so I never used it.
Fantastic piece. Wish more people knew about this
I contacted the company after my husband died about the recall. He had a stroke. They told me that because his machine was bought through insurance, we weren't entitled to anything back. Never mind the fact that we had to rent his machine for a year.
Beware. They're offering $100 to return the machine. Do not do it, keep it as evidence!
Best advertisement for no Phillips products ever…. What a revolting and callous handling of the damages they have caused.
Did these people learn NOTHING from the Tylenol scare? This happens over and over and over. Not one person in management goes to jail. Our corporate model is clearly broken.
I have the ResMed Aircurve 10 and have not had any issues or heard of any problems. This story did lead me to take a good look at my unit and I discovered a small amount of mold. I cleaned it right away! Thanks for the heads up.
With all of those symptoms of irritation of the respiratory system, no doctors thought about CPAP machines? My first thought would be bacterial contamination, easy to test, lung infections and prolonged irritation would warrant investigation, bronchial inspection, biopsy?? Were they looking for zebras?
Doctors probably got kickbacks.
In my dealing with fellow engineers that have PhDs, they lack common sense and have no ability to look "outside of the box". Heavily programed in an intense indoctrination "education". Their PhD certificate proves that they are "right" about everything. The universe does not exist outside their "box".
My husband had this machine. When the recall was made I sent in o have it replaced. We waited many months. We finally went to the VA. He is a totally disabled veteran. They said he was on the list and one would be sent as a replacement. We talked for a little while and the ladies helping us decided to check the interior of the machine and there was black gunk…they immediately gave us a replacement. We don’t know how many years my husband had been breathing that stuff. He has had a cough and says I don’t know why I cough so much.
Phillips and Respironics should be dragged before Congress and be forced to pay millions of dollars in damages to their customers.
My father used this machine. We was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in March of 2021. He died on Nov of 2021. We learned about the recall after his passing. He was a banker and never smoked a day in his life!
I don't know why ANYONE would have dared to trust a replacement machine? I would have switched companies immediately. I know they are not cheap, and these days are about 2500.00 each, back then were far less. But why would you trust them after this? I use and have always used Resmed. My machine is about 14 years old. I considered buying a Phillips Dream a while back because my old Resmed has so few current features.... but didn't upgrade then and later heard about this issue. Imagine my relief that I never bought one.
Yours didn't tell you it's life was about time expire? Mine did after 8 years! I had wait another year because of people switching to get a new one 🙄
@@annabrahamson4320 My resmed does not have that feature. It's old. Still works. I do recall they told me that they should be replaced every 8 years or something like that, which is why I considered upgrading to a newer one. Glad I didn't buy the Phillips.
I too have a Resmed. Very expensive but so worth it.
I'm another person who has waited more than 1.5 years for a new unit. They only offered $500 in case you didn't want a new unit. That's less than half the cost of a new unit. And my orig unit no longer works (thankfully I did not see any of the black particles and suffered no chronic problems)...so I returned it for the $100 pymt. Haven't seen that amt. Had to buy another CPAP machine at my own expense in the meantime to be able to breath while sleeping.
This is appalling! American medical care is a disgrace; it's a money grab, in general, not a practice of healing. This video made me so sad; my oldest friend (oldest as in I've known him for almost all of my life) uses a CPAP machine, and I'm terrified for his health. The amount of Phillips' settlement amounts to piddling sums for each individual whom they have harmed irreparably and nothing like what this damage has, and will continue to, cost them.
It's infuriating and disgusting that Phillips has offered no apology. The entire executive suite - CEO, CFO, etc.. - they all belong behind bars for letting this damage go on and on, KNOWING about the disintegration of the foam soundproofing and what it was doing to patients FOR 11 YEARS!
It's criminal negligence.
👍 That's EXACTLY what it is!
I'm one of these patients.
Mine is a BIPAP.
I kept telling them it's straight causing me to have panic attacks. I was and still am threatened to lose the medication part of treatment for not being in compliance. I'm reminded of the fact that I otherwise stop breathing 18 times per minute when I'm asleep.. that I can stop breathing and no restart. Do I want my children to find me dead some morning?
Then, the replacement was sent. It smells like something is burning. The "answer" was to take away the humidifier. This makes it SO dry, I have constant sore throats, sinus problems etc. I have forced air into my nose and throat all night, but no moisture. I'm always sick. It's difficult to wear your mask when you have to breathe from your nose, yet it's so stuffed up, you can't breathe. So, you don't use it. Then, you don't sleep. Or, you get lousy sleep. Eventually, you're so tired you're no longer able to stay awake. You total the only car. You break your leg falling. You tear your knee so badly, it's torn off of your leg. You begin to experience other health issues, and receive a mountain of new diagnosis and most can't be helped because of my age and how far along they are. There's no treatment that will work. Making me as comfortable as possible is the treatment, but that means Tylenol and ibuprofen. They're causing their own issues on my body/in my body.
And Philips knew it all along, but was making so much money, they hid it as long as they could. They flat out denied evidence. Wrongdoing. Knowingly hurting and killing people. Devastating families. It's always about the money, and this hasn't been any different. They're still denying proof, they're still causing known harm with replacement pieces. They're still insisting on doing/knowing nothing. STILL.
Whoever decided to accept the settlement should also be investigated. My wife and I are both CPAP users and for whatever reason my wife never liked her Phillips CPAP and didn't use it much. I used to give her a hard time about it and now I am so glad God was looking out for her!
my old roommate's dad passed away a few years ago, he apparently was struggling to breath and fell and hit his head hard on the way down. i knew he was having more and more issues breathing but after seeing this i think i might need to get in touch with my old roommate. i'm fairly sure he was using one of these machines.
Corporate protocol leads to outcomes like this.
Extremely disturbing, wishing the best for everyone that suffered.
I love the "professional" detachment from that doctor, those people got sick because she sold them a bad machine, and didn't realize it was hurting her patients. Didn't see much regret or soul searching on her part, just blaming the vendor. "I was wondering why all my new patients got sick.... couldn't be MY treatment"..... good thing the vendor finally called them, eh? or else the "mystery" of a sleep doc making everyone sick would be unsolvable. (these sleep clinics, recommend and sell CPAPs to everyone that walk in the door). You notice she said 100% of her patients here on this same model of machine, that's no accident.....
Wow, watching this makes me realize I used to have sleep apnea, it went away a long time ago, though. When she was saying how she would wake up gasping for air, the sound she made to demonstrate it was exactly the same thing I used to do. I'd wake up in the middle of the night gasping, making the exact same sounds as her. Thank goodness it wasn't severe, and went away on its own. Frankly, I never realized how seriously sleep apnea could be. I just assumed people would wake up if they needed to breathe bad enough. Which, I'm sure a lot of people do, too.
The Doctors must have realised surely that people were getting much worse on these machines.
I still own a recalled machine. I stopped using it as soon as I was notified.
I received no replacement or any compensation.
ProPublica is an amazing investigative journalism outfit. If I could pursue my early dreams of journalism, they would be the dream to work for.
Class action lawsuits pay the lawyers more than it punishes the company or compensates the victim for their injuries or future problems.
Did the foam just degrade or did ozone cleaning cause the foam to degrade. I noticed that the ozone was degrading my mask and stopped using it.
Ozone certainly doesn't help anything.
Philips never even had a feedback or contact us on their website so patient could contact them with concerns about their C-Pap machine. Philips didn’t care to hear about any problems from their machines that they obviously didn’t do extensive testing on. It is negligent. I am glad they are no longer selling C-PAP machines but should sell no medical devices period.
I used the DS1 machine for about two and a half years when I found out about the recall.
I immediately registered to get a replacement.
Because of covid, manufacturing of products including CPAP machines slowed way down and perhaps even stopped. This was the major reason for the delay of getting new machines out.
I continued using my machine as I had no problems with it.
I think the major problem that people had were those that used a certain ozone cleaning device that broke down the foam in the unit.
It took a year and a half to get the DS2 machine delivered to my door.
I wasn't crazy about that machine so I didn't use it
Instead, I wrote the company in the Netherlands and asked them to send me a replacement of the ds1 machine
A few weeks later I got the ds1 machine on my doorstep.
My lungs were wrecked from childhood asthma
I've had no problem with the DS1 machine.
I use the replacement DS1 machine now.
It works great.
I would buy another one
But since they're not available, I'll end up getting Fisher& paykel or maybe the resmed machine since 5 years have passed and unqualified for a new machine.
Profits first, patients second but not before irreversible damage is done after being ignored.
America is the best!.
$479,000 is nothing for all the damage done.
Thank you for such an informative video on this horrible issue. It took me over a year, possibly almost two, to get my replacement machine. The replacement came in the summer of 2022.
Thanks for this.