Rodney Thomas was just 51 when he died from aggressive nasopharyngeal cancer, a rare type of head and neck cancer, after using a Philips machine for sleep apnea.
His family was confused by his diagnosis at the time: Mr. Thomas was not a smoker or heavy drinker and was in perfect health, in addition to being diagnosed with the sleeping disorder.
To treat it, Thomas had begun using a Philips continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which was later found to expel carcinogenic materials into users’ airways, according to claims in lawsuits filed against the company.
His wife, Shawne Thomas, – just one of many people suing the medical technology maker – claims its machine caused her husband’s cancer and eventual death.
She told DailyMail.com: ‘My husband didn’t need to die. This was totally unnecessary. We have lost our world.
Ms Thomas, from Louisiana, told this website that Rodney started using her sleep apnea machine in 2019 and that the couple repeatedly saw black spots on the tube and mask, but didn’t think about it at the time .
It would later be claimed in class action lawsuits that those specks were actually carcinogenic materials that degraded inside the machine and found their way into Rodney’s airways.
Rodney Thomas was just 51 years old when he died of cancer in 2021 after using a Philips sleep apnea machine for several years.
Rodney and his wife Shawne were married for 32 years and had three children together.
Rodney Thomas’ wife Shawne said the couple repeatedly saw black stains on the tubes and masks of Rodney’s sleep apnea machine.
About a year after using the device, Rodney developed a “very aggressive cough” and became increasingly tired, unable to keep up with day-to-day activities.
After noticing that a large lump had developed in Rodney’s throat, Mrs. Thomas encouraged him to go to the doctor, who initially believed Rodney had an infection and treated him with antibiotics.
When weeks passed without any improvement, Rodney underwent imaging, which revealed a tumor. In January 2021, he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer.
He died just five months later, several days before Philips withdrew its machines from the market.
It wasn’t until after her husband’s death that Mrs. Thomas found out about the recall when she saw a commercial on YouTube announcing it.
He immediately checked the serial number on his machine and discovered that it was included in the recall of millions of CPAP machines.
Mrs Thomas told DailyMail.com: ‘(I was) just traumatised. We were shocked and then we went from shock to anger.
“This was totally unnecessary.”
The manufacturing giant first received complaints about defective machines in 2010, after they redesigned their devices. However, Philips did not disclose the complaints, even as the number grew from a few to dozens, according to a ProPublica investigation. found.
Users wrote to the company about “black shavings” in the CPAP machine chamber and reported that the machines were “contaminated with an unknown sticky substance.”
Now, nearly 600 people who used the now-recalled CPAP machines have died in the past three years from illnesses related to the foam and potentially toxic gases that enter users’ airways while using the device, according to the U.S. Administration. Food and Medicine.
After learning of the recall, Ms. Thomas said she was “beyond furious.”
He quickly got a lawyer and told this website that he had filed a lawsuit against the medical technology maker. As part of the lawsuit, he said his attorney sent Rodney’s machine to a facility in Pennsylvania for testing.
The tests found the presence of a carcinogenic substance known to cause the type of cancer Rodney had, the lawsuit states.
A CPAP (or continuous positive airway pressure) machine corrects sleep apnea, in which sufferers stop and start breathing while sleeping, which can cause much more serious health problems.
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Rodney is just one of hundreds of people who have died after using the Philips CPAP machine, and thousands more are worried about his health.
Joel Pickett, a 79-year-old man from Oregon, posted on a Facebook support group for people affected by Philips CPAP machines that he developed tracheal cancer after years of using a recalled device.
In the group, there are dozens of comments from people reporting cancer diagnoses, respiratory conditions and infections, deaths in family members they say are related to use of the machines, and people expressing fear of developing life-threatening illnesses after years of use.
Another poster said his symptoms of chest pain, muscle aches, and rashes improved after he stopped using his CPAP device.
Kelly Bush Fannerella of Pennsylvania said her son was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using the machine.
In 2021, Philips sleep apnea machines were found to blow gas and foam into users’ airways while they slept, exposing them to an increased risk of tumors.
The malfunction led the company to recall more than five million machines in June 2021, but attempts to repair and replace the affected machines have dragged on for years.
More recently, the FDA and the Department of Justice forced Philips to suspend all new sales until they fix the problem with the old devices.
The manufacturer announced last month that it would stop selling its machines.
According to the FDA, since it initiated a recall of approximately 15 million devices in 2021, 561 CPAP users have died as a result of illnesses related to faulty machines, while thousands battle other serious health conditions.
The deaths were recorded in 116,000 medical device reports, the FDA’s database for reporting adverse events. From July to September 2023 alone, 111 deaths were recorded, out of a total of more than 7,000 medical device reports filed in that short period.
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The White House said President Joe Biden, 81, uses a CPAP machine to treat his sleep apnea after visible indentations were detected in his face.
Philips Respironics agreed to a partial settlement of $479 million on September 8, 2023 to compensate people for financial damages related to the recall.
Approximately 30 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a condition characterized by pauses in breathing or shortness of breath during sleep, which, over time, greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
An estimated 8 million people, including President Joe Biden, rely on a CPAP machine to sleep through the night, and given Philips’ status as a market leader in CPAP devices, a large portion of those eight million are likely of devices are included in the recall.
The problem arises from the type of foam used in the machine’s helmet, which attaches around the head and connects to a snorkel-like device. It is intended to dampen sound and vibrations while the machine is operating.
But the foam, made with polyester-based polyurethane, has been shown to degrade and break down into small particles and release harmful chemical gases such as formaldehyde, benzene, methylene chloride, volatile organic compounds and solvents, all of which have been linked with different types of cancer and respiratory problems, multiple class action lawsuits claim.
Brett Stassi, a 62-year-old Louisiana man, battled kidney cancer after using his Philips sleep apnea machine every night for four years.
Terry Flynn of St Louis, Missouri, died of esophageal cancer in 2021, just two weeks after being diagnosed. ProPublica reported that he had used his CPAP machine for nine years.
And Mark Edwards, 58, experienced years of recurring respiratory infections and benign tumors that he told ProPublica he believed were caused by the Philips DreamStation ventilator.
“It really blows my mind,” Ms Thomas told DailyMail.com.
‘(It’s) completely unnecessary. That’s what really bothers me about this whole thing. It didn’t need to happen.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Philips said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies are with Mr Thomas’ family. Our first priority is the health and well-being of patients, and we regret the distress and concern that the Philips Respironics recall has caused affected device users and their loved ones.
‘Importantly, 13 independent epidemiological studies show no association between the use of continuous or bilevel positive airway pressure (PAP) devices, including Philips Respironics PAP devices, and an increased risk of cancer in people with obstructive apnea of the dream.
‘In addition, together with five independent certified testing laboratories and qualified third-party experts, Philips Respironics has been carrying out a comprehensive testing program on PE-PUR foam.
“Based on the results of independent testing to date, Philips Respironics has also concluded that the use of its sleep therapy devices is not expected to result in measurable harm to the health of patients.”