Providers "not heeding breathing system guidance":
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
UK healthcare providers are being urged to more closely observe manufacturers' instructions on the use and replacement of heat and moisture exchangers (HME) and filters (HMEFs), in updated guidance aimed at avoiding breathing system blockages. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received reports where sub-components have failed within the casing, becoming detached and entering the breathing circuit as a result of high airway pressures and flows, "probably due to coughing". In an alert issued yesterday, the agency warns that these events may occur in HMEs and HMEFs that have previously been functioning normally.