The EVSRF catheter is a sterile recalled over fire hazard

Recall date

September 4, 2024

Source

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) — enforcement report

Official notice title

Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc recalls The EVSRF catheter is a sterile, single-use disposable medical device for endovenous radiofrequency ablation, a procedu…

Recall number

Z-0371-2025

FDA classification

Class II

Brand / firm

Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc

Sold / distributed

Worldwide - U.S. Nationwide distribution including in the states of AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, Puerto Rico, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI and WV. The countries of Australia, Sin…

Why it was recalled

The Venclose" RF Ablation Catheters may have been manufactured with internal wiring error. The red and yellow signal wires were soldered on swapped ports of the catheter PCB. This error in wire configuration would lead to power being applied through the proximal 3/4th of the heating coil, bypassing the thermocouple, which will then cause the generator to overdrive the catheter in an attempt to reach desired temperature set point. The wire attachment error causes the device to reach temperatures exceeding the levels intended for therapeutic efficacy, while the console is falsely indicating that temperature has not yet been reached, thus increasing the risk of harm due to excessive temperature.

Class II means using this product may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems; the chance of serious harm is remote.

What was recalled

The EVSRF catheter is a sterile, single-use disposable medical device for endovenous radiofrequency ablation, a procedure in which a refluxing vein is thermally coagulated to permanently eliminate the vein from blood circulation. The catheter has a long shaft for insertion into a vein, a handle with start/stop button, and a connector cable. The catheter shaft has a heating element that is energized by the digiRF radiofrequency generator, which is a multi-voltage energy delivery system with touchscreen control that automatically sets the non-adjustable treatment parameters for the catheter. A button on the catheter (or a foot pedal attached to the generator) begins an automated treatment cycle of 20 seconds long at a set temperature of 120 ¿C, and the treatment stops automatically when complete. The catheter is used within a sterile operative field, while the generator remains outside the sterile operative field at all times.