Nova Biomedical StatStrip Glucose Hospital Meter recalled for patient data mismatch risk
What this means
A software timing issue in the StatStrip Glucose Hospital Meter (Model 63685) can cause the device to display a previously scanned patient barcode when a new barcode is scanned. If a clinician accepts the wrong patient information without noticing, the current patient's glucose result gets recorded in the previous patient's medical record, and the current patient receives no result. This can lead to incorrect treatment decisions, especially in critically ill patients and infants.
- Review recent glucose test results in your data management system to identify any potential patient-result mismatches.
- Contact Nova Biomedical or your hospital IT department for instructions on software updates or device replacement.
- Verify patient identity carefully each time you scan a barcode, and double-check that the displayed patient information matches the barcode you just scanned.
- Report any suspected patient-result mix-ups to your hospital's clinical engineering or quality department.
The agency's original wording
A software synchronization/timing issue in the barcode scanning and patient data processing component that causes the device to intermittently retain a previously scanned barcode including patient identification (ID) barcodes and quality control (QC) solution ID barcodes when a new barcode is scanned, resulting in the prior barcode information remaining displayed on the screen for the current test. When this defect occurs and the operator accepts the incorrectly displayed patient information without recognizing the mismatch, the current patient's glucose result will be incorrectly assigned to the previous patient's medical record and transmitted to the data management system (DMS), and the current patient's medical record will not receive a result, leaving their glucose status unrecorded and their clinical management without the information needed to guide treatment decisions. The previous patient, whose medical record now contains a glucose result that does not belong to them, may receive inappropriate clinical intervention based on that erroneous result, particularly in critically ill patients, neonates, and infants who cannot communicate symptoms or self-treat. The defect also affects QC barcode scanning: if a QC scan triggers the same retention behavior, QC results may be attributed to an incorrect identifier or QC tests may fail without the user recognizing the underlying cause. This defect does not affect the analytical accuracy of glucose measurements.
Official notice
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/index.cfm?Product=Z-3128-2026More Nova Biomedical recalls
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