Neptune Suction

We have one surgeon who only allows the Neptune to run for brief times. If he's not actively suctioning, it's turned off. I think placement can be an issue too. Usually we push ours into the corner, away from the field. Also, having used both the original and the second generation, I can tell you that the second generation is a heck of a lot quieter. I've gotten so used to it that I don't really notice it unless someone forgot to close the port on the yankauer- the on/off switch on the suction itself (not the machine) does seem to help.

There is a Class I medical device recall for the Neptune suction from the FDA. I'm surprise that your unit is still using it.

The company was only required to give education to those who chose to continue using the units. I believe it all stems from an incident where a patient in the ICU (and why there was a Neptune unit in an ICU I don't know) had a chest tube hooked directly into the unit by someone without any training in using the device, causing the patient's death. Basically, the education we received was not to hook anything into the suction line that was in any way, shape, or form not a suction tip (no drains, chest tubes, etc.).

Edited to add:

My facility uses the Neptune 2, which was the one for weighing medical necessity for continued use. We don't use the other two types (Neptune 1 Silver or Neptune 2 Ultra), which don't have the FDA approval.

Link to story:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-25/stryker-recalls-neptune-devices-after-death-reported.html