Public Safety · Lake County
FDA Alerts on Medline Bed Fire Hazards After Two Deaths
The U.S. FDA issued an Early Alert Thursday warning that electrical components in Medline-brand beds for home care, long-term care, and bariatric patients may overheat, potentially causing smoke, melting, burning, or fire. Two people have died and 16 have been seriously injured in connection with the beds, which also pose entrapment and asphyxiation risks from bed accessories. Medline has stopped selling its brand-name beds and is offering repairs, replacements, and refunds; customers are advised to unplug beds from electrical outlets except when making adjustments. Medline, which employed more than 6,000 people in Lake and Cook counties as of the end of last year, saw its stock fall about 12% since Oct. 15.