The Recall Desk
HighFDA (Devices)·Z-2453-2018·Announced 2018-07-25

Ethicon Prolene Suture Recall Due to Packaging Perforation Risk

Ethicon is recalling specific Prolene suture products because a packaging design issue may allow needles to perforate the package, posing injury and infection risks.

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 (potential soft tissue injury and patient infection) where no specific injuries or illnesses have been reported in the source text, fitting the High severity criteria.

Plain-English summary

Ethicon, Inc. is recalling 15,180 units of PROLENE SUTURE 36"(90CM) 4-0 BLUE, D7768. The recall is due to a packaging design issue where the needle associated with certain suture product codes has the potential to perforate the packaging.

A perforated package has the potential to cause a soft tissue injury to a healthcare professional handling the subject product. Additionally, a breach of sterility within the packaging could lead to a patient infection if the perforation goes unnoticed by the healthcare professional.

The affected products were distributed to accounts in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, MA, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and WV. Healthcare professionals should check their inventory for the specific product codes listed in the recall notice and stop using any affected units.

The recalled product

Product
PROLENE SUTURE 36"(90CM) 4-0 BLUE, D7768
Manufacturer
Ethicon, Inc.
Affected units
15,180

Distribution

Part of a larger recall action

This product is one of 19 recalled by Ethicon, Inc. 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 19 products in this recall →