Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Blog | Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis LLP

Microprocessors can have the advantage of being able to do what no human being could do: dedicate its entire existence to performing one tiny, precise task with tireless devotion for days, weeks, even years. However, these so-called thinking machines are incapable of actual thought, and can only do exactly as they are told, which means that the instructions to them must be extremely precise and accurate. Errors in these instructions can lead to a deadly combination of defective products and medical malpractice.

For example, the FDA recalled the software for Medtronic's implantable infusion pumps in 2004 because the software caused the pump to deliver fatal overdoses to patients. Software designed for use in a blood bank that does not correlate all risk factors. Software used at medical testing sites was recalled because it mismatched test results and specimens. And software designed to control culture tests would allow culture bottles to be removed before the culture had sufficient time to grow, allowing infections to go undiagnosed.

However, these errors in software can be prevented. So-called forensic software that can diagnose the coding errors, but many companies do not use it because of the expense. Instead, they would rather issue the code, then find errors as a result of the injuries or deaths caused.

Do not let them use your body as a debugging device. If you have suffered as a result of faulty medical device software, contact the experienced product liability lawyers at Pomerantz, Perlberger, and Lewis, LLP today for a free initial consultation and case evaluation.