The Recall Desk
HighFDA (Devices)·Z-0254-2016·Announced 2015-11-18

GE Healthcare Recalls MRI Scanners Due to Potential SAR Limit Exceedance

GE Healthcare is recalling 756 MRI scanners because displayed SAR values may be lower than actual head SAR, potentially exceeding safety limits during head or neck scans.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a risk-of-harm product (medical device) where the hazard is a potential exceedance of safety limits (SAR), but no injuries or illnesses have been reported in the source text.

Plain-English summary

GE Healthcare is recalling 756 units of the Discovery MR750w 3.0T and related MRI scanner models. The recall affects whole-body magnetic resonance scanners used for diagnostic imaging, including the Discovery MR750 3.0T, Discovery MR450 1.5T, Discovery MR750w 3.0T, and Optima MR450w 1.5T systems.

The recall was initiated because, during head or neck scans, the currently displayed Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values could be lower than the actual SAR in the head. SAR modeling predicts that the actual SAR in the head could exceed the IEC60601-2-33 limit of 3.2 W/kg for some scans.

The affected units were distributed worldwide, including nationwide in the United States (including DC, PR, and GU) and in numerous international countries. No specific instructions for consumers or healthcare providers are provided in the source text beyond the identification of the defect.

The recalled product

Product
GE Healthcare, Discovery MR750w 3.0T. Product Usage: The Discovery MR750 3.0T, Discovery MR450 1.5T, Discovery MR750w 3.0T and the Optima MR450w 1.5T Systems are whole body magnetic resonance scanners for diagnostic imaging.
Manufacturer
GE Healthcare
Affected units
756

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

The notice also names 3 states specifically:

Part of a larger recall action

This product is one of 7 recalled by GE Healthcare under a single FDA (Devices) recall action. The agency files each product separately, so the size of the action is not visible from this page alone.

See all 7 products in this recall →

Same hazard · sar exceedance

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