BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, is voluntarily recalling specified lots of the ChloraPrep Hi-Lite Orange 26 mL Applicator (2% w/w chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and 70% v/v isopropyl alcohol (IPA)) to the user level due to a defective applicator. The product is used as an antiseptic for the preparation of the patient’s skin prior to surgery to help reduce bacteria that potentially can cause skin infection.
The ChloraPrep 26 mL Applicator contains glass ampules that house the sterile ChloraPrep solution. In normal circumstances, the product is activated by squeezing the wing on the applicator to break the ampule, which releases the solution to the sponge head for application to the patient’s skin. In certain lots, the applicator end cap was improperly secured due to a manufacturing error. This can result in broken glass and solution dropping out of the applicator once activated. In some cases, the glass ampules can drop out before activation and shatter if striking a hard surface, resulting in solution and glass fragments scattering in the procedure area and potentially causing injury to patients and health care professionals. These products were distributed in the United States and Puerto Rico.
