Medline Industries is recalling approximately 1.5 million portable adult bed rails in the U.S. and Canada following two reported entrapment deaths associated with the products.
The recall affects two models of Medline’s “Bed Assist Bars.” According to a Thursday announcement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), users can become trapped within the bed rail itself or between the product and the side of a mattress when attached to a bed.
This situation poses “a serious entrapment hazard and risk of death by asphyxiation,” as noted by the CPSC.
To date, Medline has received reports of two entrapment deaths linked to the recalled Bed Assist Bars in the U.S. One incident involved a 76-year-old woman who died in an Iowa senior nursing facility in 2019, and the other involved an 87-year-old woman who died in a South Carolina residential care facility in 2023.
Additionally, one injury has been reported in the U.S., according to a Health Canada announcement. No injuries or incidents have been reported in Canada as of Monday, Health Canada stated.
Medline acknowledged in a statement that the reported entrapment deaths occurred because the bed rails were not securely attached to the bed, causing users to become trapped between the rail and the mattress.
Based in Northfield, Illinois, the company encourages all customers to read the warnings and instructions for its products. Medline emphasized the importance of impacted customers participating in the recall, noting its close collaboration with the CPSC and support for the agency’s commitment to consumer safety.
Medline sold approximately 1.5 million of the now-recalled Bed Assist Bars from July 2009 through March 2024 in the U.S., through its own websites and major online retailers, including Amazon and Walmart. The products were priced between $32 and $64. Over 5,500 units were also sold in Canada between February 2013 and March 2024.
The recalled bed rails, manufactured in China, can be identified by two model numbers: MDS6800BA and MDS6800BAH.
The CPSC and Health Canada urge consumers to stop using these products immediately and contact Medline for a refund.
