sleep apnea News

FDA Receives 48,000 Reports of Faulty Philips Devices as CEO Departs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said reports of faulty Philips ventilators and sleep apnea machines had risen in the past quarter, underlining problems facing the Dutch company, which has just announced plans to replace its CEO. Philips says …

Philips’ Breathing-Device Lawsuits Over Toxic Foam Move Forward

Royal Philips NV will face more than 100 U.S. lawsuits gathered in a Pennsylvania court over its recall of more than 3 million devices used to treat sleep apnea that are linked to cancer concerns. Amsterdam-based Philips, maker of respiratory …

Philips Recalls Ventilators, Sleep Apnea Machines Due to Health Risks

AMSTERDAM — Dutch medical equipment company Philips has recalled some breathing devices and ventilators because of a foam part that might degrade and become toxic, potentially causing cancer, it said on Monday. Foam used to dampen the machines’ sound can …

US Nixes Plan for Sleep Apnea Test for Truckers, Train Engineers

U.S. officials are abandoning plans to require sleep apnea screening for truck drivers and train engineers, a decision that safety experts say puts millions of lives at risk. The Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said late …

Countermeasures to Drowsy Driving Can be Distracting

Conservative estimates show that 21 percent of fatal crashes involve drowsy driving. “Drowsy driving can be considered a form of distracted driving,” said Benjamin McManus, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Lifespan Development Psychology graduate program …

N.J. Transit Tops U.S. Commuter Railroads in Most Accidents Logged

New Jersey Transit, under state and federal inquiry for violating safety rules and operating protocols, logged the most accidents last year among the 10 biggest U.S. commuter railroads, federal records show. The 21 accidents disclosed online by the Federal Railroad …

Senators Urge NTSB to Review Train Conductor Sleep Apnea Tests

Five U.S. senators have called on the National Transportation Safety Board to conduct a comprehensive review of all passenger railroads’ implementation of sleep apnea testing for engineers and inward-facing cameras on trains. A letter, sent Sunday to NTSB Chairman Christopher …

Crash Risk Higher for Truckers Who Fail to Follow Sleep Apnea Treatment

Truck drivers who have obstructive sleep apnea and who do not attempt to adhere to a mandated treatment program have a fivefold increase in the risk of a severe crash, according to a new study co-authored by Virginia Tech Transportation …

Engineer in New York Commuter Train Derailment Had Sleep Disorder

The engineer on a New York commuter train that derailed at high speed last year, killing four people, had a serious sleep disorder that interrupted his rest dozens of times each night, federal investigators disclosed Monday. The National Transportation Safety …