Adult Bed Rails Recalled Over Suffocation Risk

With two additional deaths linked to the products, Essential Medical Supply is again announcing a recall on four models of its adult portable bed rails, according to an April 4 statement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The bed rails were first recalled in 2021. When the rails are attached to a bed, users can become trapped in the bed rail or between the rail and the side of the mattress, posing a serious risk of entrapment and death by asphyxiation, the warning said. 

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In December 2012, an 86-year-old man died at his home in California because of the rails, the initial recall said. Since then, another 86-year-old man died at an assisted living facility in Connecticut in December 2022, and a 99-year-old man at his home in California in August 2023.

The recalled bed rails

Four models of the company’s Endurance Hand Bed Rails were recalled:

• Hand Bed Rail (model P1410)
• Hand Bed Rail with Pouch (model P1410-P)
• Hand Bed Rail with Floor Support (model P1411)
• Hand Bed Rail with Floor Support with Pouch (model P1411-P)

An estimated 270,000 units were sold at medical supply stores nationwide and online from Amazon and Walmart from October 2006 through December 2021.

The name “Essential Medical Supply, Inc.” and the model number are printed on a label located on bed rail’s grip handle.

The products are made of either chrome or white metal tubing and include black padding on the grip and under-bed frame.

Advice to consumers

Consumers should stop using the recalled bed rails immediately and contact Essential Medical Supply for a full refund. They can be reached Monday through Friday at 800-826-8423 or online.

The refund amount will be prorated based on the age of the bed rail.