***29/07/2022: Philips have recently published a Field Safety Notice (FSN) containing a corrective action to address the lack of alarm accompanying the loss of ventilator function. Further information is available on the MHRA website.***

Update 2: 25/05/2022: The deadline for this National Patient Safety Alert has been updated to 12 July 2022. This is following feedback that owing to high demand for replacement devices it will not be possible to complete actions by the previous deadline of 31 May 2022.

Update 1: 03/05/2022: The manufacturer has released a field safety notice (FSN) on this issue, published on the MHRA website 03/05/22. The MHRA would like to remind users that the advice in this National Patient Safety Alert supersedes the advice given by the manufacturer in their FSN. Failure to take the required actions detailed may lead to regulatory action. The MHRA has reconfirmed this advice as no longterm solution to this device problem has been implemented to date, therefore it is still felt that there is a significant risk to patients.

In March 2022 Philips Health Systems informed the MHRA of an important safety issue due to potential unexpected shutdowns of all of their V60 and V60 Plus non-invasive ventilators. All V680 invasive ventilators used in critical care settings are also affected.

V60 and V60 Plusdevices are designed for in-hospital use. They can be used to provide average volume-assured pressure support (AVAPS), pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and positive pressure ventilation (PPV) treatment to patients in critical care and high-dependency unit (HDU) settings.

The safety concern identified relates to a number of electrical faults in the devices, which can result in an unexpected shutdown, leading to loss of ventilation.

There are two ways in which this shutdown can occur: The first will sound a warning to alert the user that the machine is shutting down. This will let the user know they need to switch to an alternative source of ventilation. There is a risk that the patient will be unventilated while this second source of ventilation is prepared.

The second failure mode will cause the device to shut down with no warning alarm. If a ventilator fails in use and does not alarm, the patient will be unventilated until the clinician becomes aware and responds.

If unnoticed by healthcare professionals, ventilation failure can have a severe health impact on patients. This can include hypoxia, which can result in long-term cognitive impairment to the patient. There is also a risk of death if a patient is without ventilation for a sustained period of time

Philips has no permanent solution to correct this issue and as such we are issuing this alert to help hospitals manage the risk.

Note: This is a different alert to the one previously publishedon 23/09/2020 by the MHRA for a similar range of devices.

This alert should be acted on immediately.