The adult portable bed rails for adults aEUR”, which are attached to the sides of beds to aid mobility and reduce the chance of falling, are promoted as safety devices that can be used by elderly or people with special medical needs.
They can pose a safety risk, as they could trap you and cause serious injury or death. In recent months, several companies and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have recalled thousands upon thousands of units, citing reports of deaths and the risk of asphyxia.
After three deaths in 2006 and 2013, the independent federal agency has now asked Americans to discontinue using any other brand of adult portable beds rails. It is warning against 10 models.
Consumers are being warned by the CPSC to stop using 285,000 bedrails manufactured and sold in two companies: Mobility Trans Systems Inc. from 1992 to 2021, and Metal Tubing USA Inc. between 2021 and 2022.
The devices were sold by online retailers including Walmart.com, Amazon.com, MTSMedicalSupply.com, VitalityMedical.com and Alimed.com, as well as secondhand sites like Ebay.
According to the agency, at least three people died from being trapped in one type of bed rails. This includes a 78 year old woman in Michigan, an 85-year old man in Oklahoma and a California-disabled woman who was 90 years old.
It stated in a Thursday statement that the CPSC had evaluated bed rails and discovered that consumers could become trapped between the mattress and bed rail or within the rails themselves, leading to asphyxia.
The company said that neither company had agreed to recall the bed rails, nor to provide a remedy for consumers. It also stated that it was “evaluating possible future actions in this matter.” NPR reached out to both companies in order for comments.
These bed rails are made from white or chrome-plated tubing and have a label at the grip handle that lists the model number and the name “Mobility Transfer Systems”. These models are:
The agency asks consumers to stop using bed rails immediately, to disassemble the devices and throw them away, and to report any other incidents online.
You can purchase many portable bed rails online without the approval of a doctor. However, some of them are medical devices that will need to be inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The agency stated on its website that “Adult portable beds rails and hospital beds rails aren’t for everyone” Even though portable bed rails or hospital bed rails can be used to reduce the chance of falling or entrapment, are compatible with the mattress and are used correctly, they can pose a danger to some people, especially those with mental impairments or dementia.
FDA reports that seven people died from portable bed rails in the past five years. The FDA also reported 901 instances of patients being “caught and trapped, entangled, or strangled” in hospital bed aEUR,” including 531 deaths between 1985-2013.
During this time, the CPSC reviewed 260 incidents aEUR”, 247 of which were fatal aEUR”, involving adult portable beds rails between January 2003 – December 2019. According to a 2020 briefing. While rail entrapment was the most common cause of all incidents, some were linked to falls, structural integrity, and other miscellaneous issues.
It wrote that “CPSC staff’s analyses found that the overwhelming majority [reported decedents] were aged 70 or older,” referring to people who had already died. “In addition, most incidents involved victims who had underlying medical conditions.”
According to the commission, 196,848 people were also injured by adult portable beds rails in the period 2003-2019 aEUR,” an average of 11,579 people each year.
People who are thinking about bed rails should make sure they know who is allowed to use them, at what risk, as well as how to properly install and use them.
National Consumer Voice highlights that there are other options to bed rails. Other options include: lowering the bed to the floor or investing in an adjustable-height mattress; placing non-slip cushion pads or cushions beside the bed to prevent falls; or using a bed trapeze or secured vertical pole to help you get in and out of the bed.
Federal efforts are underway to improve regulation of these products, as consumer advocates have demanded for many years.
This is a brief history of the process according to a CPSC document dated March of this year.
In 2013, two separate petitions were submitted to the commission by the Public Citizen Health Research Group, and another from a coalition representing more than 60 consumer groups. They sought to address the dangers posed in adult portable bed rails. The petition was then combined into one.
In 2014 and 2015, it voted to delay action on the petition while ASTM, an independent standards organization was developing a voluntary standard to fit adult bed rails. These standards were published in August 2017. In August 2017, the CPSC published the standards. The CPSC stated that it would test 35 models randomly to see if they conformed to the guidelines.
In 2020, they came to a sad conclusion: Although the voluntary standard addressed the product’s known hazards adequately, there was little evidence that manufacturers were following it.
It stated that despite staff’s outreach efforts and several product recalls, which allowed manufacturers to adhere to the voluntary standard, fatal trapment incidents still occur as evidenced by incident data.
The CPSC recorded 16 fatalities each year as a result of adult portable bed rails. According to the CPSC, 92% of these are due to “entrapments aEUR”, which staff found would be likely eliminated by products that conform” with the ASTM voluntary standard.
CPSC staff recommended to the commission that the original petition requesting a ban or standard be granted.
In mid-March, Commissioner Rich Trumka Jr. declared that the body had voted to begin work on a federal rule to address safety risks posed by adult portable beds rails. He said the rails “have trapped and strangled older people at alarming rates.”
Trumka said that between the submission of the petition and its approval by the Commission, at least 129 people died from adult portable bed rails. He called this the “right decision” to protect older Americans and encouraged public health groups to keep bringing these issues to the attention of the commission.
