Breast pump adverse events: reports to the food and drug administration.

Breast pumps are medical devices used to express milk and maintain the milk supply. The purpose of this study was to characterize adverse events reported to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on breast pumps. Thirty-seven adverse event reports on breast pumps were identified from the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database between 1992 and 2003. Four additional reports were found in the Device Experience Network database from 1992 to 1996. The most commonly reported adverse events for electric breast pumps were pain, soreness, or discomfort; the need for medical intervention; and breast tissue damage. Most frequently reported problems for manual breast pumps were breast tissue damage and infection. Contamination of breast milk during pumping was also reported. Breast pump adverse events are likely underreported to the FDA. Reporting adverse events is important for improving the design and manufacture of breast pumps and subsequently decreasing adverse events.     

Sex differences in the production of methaemoglobinaemia by 4-aminopropiophenone

A methaemoglobin former, 4-aminopropiophenone (p-aminopropiophenone, PAPP), which is active only after metabolic activation in vivo, exhibits a sex difference in male Beagle dogs and bitches. Bitches produced more methaemoglobin for a given dose of PAPP than male dogs. The probable reason for this difference was a lower rate of N-hydroxylation in male dogs.     

Evaluation of the efficacy of dimercapto chelating agents for the treatment of systemic organic arsenic poisoning in rabbits

1 The standard drug for the treatment of arsenic poisoning is BAL (dimercaprol). BAL possesses marked side-effects and a low safety ratio, drawbacks which new BAL analogues, DMPS and DMSA, do not possess. 2 The efficacy of three chelating agents, BAL, DMPS and DMSA, has been evaluated as a treatment for systemic organic arsenic poisoning, induced by intravenous dichloro(2-chlorovinyl)arsine (lewisite) administration to rabbits. Equimolar dosing schedules were used based upon realistic doses for the most toxic agent, BAL. 3 It was concluded that all three dimercapto chelating agents provided significant protection against the lethal systemic effects of lewisite, and, under the test conditions reported here, there was no significant difference between them in therapeutic efficacy. 4 The cause of mortality following intravenous lewisite in treated and untreated rabbits was pulmonary damage. 5 It is considered that DMPS and DMSA are worthy of further study as replacements for BAL in the treatment of systemic poisoning by lewisite.