FDA Warns of Risk of Injury From Hospital Beds

The Food and Drug Administration today issued a consumer advisory to warn patients about the dangers of entrapment and other severe injuries caused by hospital beds.

From 1985 to 2009, there were 803 reports to the FDA of patients becoming trapped, caught, entangled, or strangled in hospital beds. Of those reports, there were 480 deaths, 138 injuries, and 185 cases where hospital staff was able to intervene fast enough to prevent injury to a patient. In most of the incidents, the patients were elderly, frail, or confused, the FDA said.

With an estimated 2.5 million such beds used in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, private homes, and other health care settings across the United States, many people are at risk of serious injury or death from hospital beds. The beds, which include moving parts to help patients remain comfortable, are regulated by the FDA just like other medical devices. Insufficient or negligent supervision by hospital staff can allow a deadly entrapment of a patient to occur in mere seconds.

To help reduce the risk of injury or death caused by accidents in hospital beds, the FDA said any rails or grab bars on the sides of the bed should be closely examined to determine whether they might be capable of trapping or strangling a patient. In many cases, patients slip down into a gap between the side rails and the mattress and become trapped.

While many manufacturers of hospital beds have redesigned their products to reduce the risk of such entrapment, the threat of such accidents still exits, the FDA said.

Hospital Bed Trouble Spots

The head, neck, and chest are the areas of the body most at risk of entrapment in hospital beds, according to the FDA. Other potential “zones of entrapment” in hospital beds include:

• Within the rail

• Under the rail, between the rail supports or next to a single rail support

• Between the rail and the mattress

• Between the rail, at the ends of the rail

• Between split bed rails

• Between the end of the rail and the side edge of the head or foot board

• Between the head or foot board and the mattress end

Fire Dangers Also a Concern

Since most hospital beds are motorized to raise and lower the head and feet, the threat of electrical fires also is a cause of injuries, the FDA said. Improper maintenance of the motorized beds can result in electrical shorts in wiring, causing fires and life-threatening burns.

To help reduce the risk of fire-related injury in hospital beds, the FDA recommends inspecting power cords for damage, refraining from using extension cords or multiple-outlet power strips to connect the beds to wall outlets, and check the bed regularly for evidence of overheating or other damage.

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