The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Medline Industries LP, of Northfield, Illinois, are announcing the recall of two models of Bed Assist Bar adult portable bed rails. The recalled bed rails pose a risk of entrapment and asphyxia because users can become entrapped within the rail, or between the rail and mattress.
Medline has received two reports of entrapment deaths associated with the Bed Assist Bars. The deaths occurred in July 2019 and November 2023 and involved a 76-year-old woman at a senior nursing facility in Iowa and an 87-year-old woman at a residential care facility in South Carolina.
The recalled bed rails have model numbers MDS6800BA and MDS6800BAH. The two models are identical, but model MDS6800BA was sold individually and model MDS6800BAH was sold in cases of three units. The bed rails are made of black metal tubing with a rounded black foam rubber grip handle and a fabric pouch. The name “Medline” and the model number are printed on a label located on the support frame of the bed rail near the vertical portion of the bed rail.
Medline sold about 1.5 million of the recalled bed rails from July 2009 through March 2024 for between $32 and $64. The recalled bedrails were sold through Medline’s websites, Medline.com and athome.medline.com, major online retailers, including Amazon and Walmart.com, online pharmacies, including CVS.com and Walgreens.com, and online medical supply stores nationwide, including Cascade Healthcare Solutions and Magic Medical. They were manufactured in China.
Medline also sold about 5,522 units in Canada. Health Canada’s Press release is available at: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/medline-adult-portable-bed-rails-recalled-due-entrapment-hazard.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bed rails and contact Medline for a refund.
CPSC urges consumers to report any related incidents to the agency at www.SaferProducts.gov.
