The CPSC has announced an Avon toy polar bear recall due to fire and burn hazards. The recalled toy bear are "Cozy Warming Polar Bears" distributed by Avon Products Inc., of New York, N.Y. The recall involves about 113,000 "Cozy Warming Polar Bears."

The warming pouch inside of the bear can overheat and ignite when heated in a microwave oven, posing a fire and burn hazard. Avon has received 41 reports of the warming polar bear overheating. 6 people have reported minor burns.

Here is a picture of the offending toy polar bear:

The "cozy" bear looks so innocent. Avon provided the following description of the recalled Avon polar bears:

The recalled white plush warming bear has a red hat and brown nose. It is about 17 inches long and comes with a buckwheat-filled pouch that is heated in a microwave oven and is inserted into an opening in the bear’s belly. “Avon Products” is printed on a white tag sewn onto the bear.

The recalled Avon polar bears were sold by Avon independent sales representatives and at www.avon.com from July 2007 through February 2008 for about $13 when sold alone, or as part of a gift set that sold for about $100. The recalled Avon polar bears were sold in China.

According to the CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission), consumers should immediately stop using the recalled warming bear and return the buckwheat-filled pouch for a full refund.

We published this recall as a public service only. We are not taking cases involving this product unless there are serious burn injuries.

Labels: Avon recall, burn injuries, toy polar bear recall

The FDA has approved a new medical adhesive (a fibrin sealant) called Artiss for use in attaching skin grafts onto burn patients.

The following is from the March 19, 2008, FDA announcement regarding this new burn/skin grafting treatment:

Fibrin sealants are tissue adhesives that contain the proteins fibrinogen and thrombin, which are essential in the clotting of blood. Artiss (Fibrin Sealant, VH S/D 4) differs from other fibrin sealants in that it contains a lower concentration of thrombin. This lower concentration allows surgeons more time to position skin grafts over burns before the graft begins to adhere to the skin. Artiss also contains aprotinin, a synthetic protein that delays the break down of blood clots.

"The approval of Artiss can help surgeons using a fibrin sealant to fine tune graft placement on burn sites," said Jesse L. Goodman M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "The approval also provides an additional choice for health care professionals in providing burn treatment."

The fibrinogen and thrombin proteins in Artiss are derived from human plasma, collected from FDA-licensed plasma centers. Both proteins undergo purification and virus inactivation treatments to reduce the risk of blood-transmissible infections.

During a multicenter clinical trial, investigators evaluated Artiss for its ability to attach skin grafts on two wound sites for 138 patients. At one test site, the skin graft was fixed with Artiss; at the other test site, the graft was fixed with surgical staples. The results showed that Artiss was, within a statistical error, as good as staples to attain complete wound closure.

Frequent adverse events, seen in both treatment groups, included bleeding and fluid collection in the tissues, both of which are common during skin grafting procedures. Artiss is manufactured by Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, Ill.

Labels: Artiss, burn treatment, skin grafts