WASHINGTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning medical device manufacturers about a potentially deadly wristband mix-up.
On Monday, the FDA issued a letter asking manufacturers to double-check patient wristband colors for the possibility of “inappropriate medical treatment.”
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The wristbands are also known as device identification patient bracelets.
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The FDA says a recent complaint made the agency aware that a manufacturer provided purple wristbands for patients to wear to indicate they have a particular medical implant.
Since 2008, the American Hospital Association has advised U.S. hospitals to standardized purple to denote a patient’s do not resuscitate status to help improve safety.
“The FDA is aware that purple hospital wristbands are given to patients in many health care settings to denote DNR status. The FDA is also aware other purple wristbands may have different meanings. We encourage following AHA recommendations and reserve the use of purple bracelets or wristbands only for DNR status,” the agency said in its letter.
The FDA said it is not aware of reports of patient harm related to the color of a wristband but warns it could have a detrimental effect if confused.