Two new medical alerts have been issued (July 2013) to care home staff about the use of particular models of powered wheelchairs made by Invacare and walking sticks made by Patterson Medical Limited.
Checks should be carried out on the following equipment:
Advice on powered wheelchairs:
- Spectra series powered wheelchairs manufactured by Invacare fitted with the Pilot+ digital wheelchair control system supplied by PG Drives Technology.
- Problem: Potential for wheelchair components to overheat in the event of a stall condition. This can occur when the control system is programmed with parameters different to those recommended by Invacare.
- Read the full medical device alert about powered wheelchairs & download advice (PDF)
Advice on walking sticks:
- Days walking stick (model 404) manufactured by Patterson Medical Ltd. Affected batch codes: HC1207, HC1242 and HC1249.
- Problem: On specific batches of model 404 walking sticks the handle can crack and may cause the user to fall.
- Read the full medical device alert about walking sticks & download advice