Nikki says,

> What is the legal liability of altering a device used to administer
> medication into something that will be used in a way that it was never
> intended or designed to be used?>>

IS there legal liability?  As I pointed out yesterday, devices are used for
purposes for which they are not intended in many instances in the hospital.
Cutting the syringe and using it in this manner merely voids the warranty on
the syringe to be able to use it to administer medication.  I discussed this
very issue with an attorney familiar with lactation, and this was her reading
on it.  If anyone on Lactnet can come up with a written legal ruling on
altering the syringe, please post it with appropriate citation.

<< What if a mother gets injured by the cut
>
> edge of the syringe abrading her skin?>>


Why is the cut edge of the syringe anywhere near her skin?  If someone is/has
done that, then they are using the device incorrectly.  The plunger is
flipped around so that the smooth end of the syringe is against her skin.  If
someone has put the cut edge of the syringe against the mother, then they
have no business anywhere near mothers & babies -- goodness knows what
they'll do next!  A bit of common sense is also a necessary commodity in the
nursing field as well as in the field of lactation consulting.

> <<What about using the product approved by the FDA for this use, the
> Evert'-It?
>

What part of the product was approved by the FDA?  I believe it was the
medical grade silicone used.  Was it the device itself?  It is no different
in function than a cut syringe, and has just as much ability to cause
problems if used incorrectly.

<<Or a breast pump? Or a baby?>>

A breast pump pulls too much areola out and isn't nearly as effective.  In
most cases, the pump won't pull an inverted nipple out at all, and the
inverted syringe will.

And if a baby could latch on and evert the nipple, we wouldn't need the
device at all.

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC, RLC
Lactation Education Consultants
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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