Medline recalls 1.5 million adult bed rails after 2 deaths

Medical supply company Medline Industries is recalling 1.5 million portable adult bed rails in the United States and Canada after two elderly people died while using them, according to federal officials.

The recall affects two models of Bed Assist Bar with model numbers MDS6800BA and MDS6800BAH. Both models are identical but the first one was sold individually while the other one was sold in cases of three units.

The recall was announced on Thursday after Medline received two reports of users being killed and one report of someone being injured while using the bed rails.

“The recalled bed rails pose a risk of entrapment and asphyxia because users can become entrapped within the rail, or between the rail and mattress,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in a statement.

The first incident happened in July 2019 when a 76-year-old woman was killed at a senior nursing facility in Iowa. The second victim was an 87-year-old woman who died at a care facility in South Carolina in November 2023.

Medline has sold about 1.5 million of the recalled bed rails with prices ranging between $32 and $64. The products were sold through Medline’s websites and online retailers in the U.S., including Amazon, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens. They were also sold in Canada.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bed rails and contact Medline for a refund,” CPSC said in a notice. Anyone with information about related incidents is asked to contact the agency at SaferProducts.gov.