FDA warns of strangulation with massage machine

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Doctors often recommend massage to relieve
stress and anxiety. But federal regulators are warning the public that
the massages delivered by the ShoulderFlex Massager device could be
fatal.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert Friday
saying one death and one near-strangulation have been reported after a
necklace and piece of clothing became caught in a rotating component of
the device. In other cases, the FDA says people’s hair became caught in
the ShoulderFlex.
The agency urges people who own the device to
"dispose of the device components separately so that the massager cannot
be reassembled and used."
Manufacturer King International has
distributed nearly 12,000 of the devices since October 2003 through
retail stores and websites in the U.S. The company plans to recall the
device, according to the FDA. The agency said it could take additional
action against the company
The device was still available online Friday afternoon on Amazon.com and other websites, where it sold
for about $140.
Calls placed to King’s offices in Beaverton, Ore., were not immediately returned Friday.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Doctors often recommend massage to relieve
stress and anxiety. But federal regulators are warning the public that
the massages delivered by the ShoulderFlex Massager device could be
fatal.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert Friday
saying one death and one near-strangulation have been reported after a
necklace and piece of clothing became caught in a rotating component of
the device. In other cases, the FDA says people’s hair became caught in
the ShoulderFlex.
The agency urges people who own the device to
"dispose of the device components separately so that the massager cannot
be reassembled and used."
Manufacturer King International has
distributed nearly 12,000 of the devices since October 2003 through
retail stores and websites in the U.S. The company plans to recall the
device, according to the FDA. The agency said it could take additional
action against the company
The device was still available online Friday afternoon on Amazon.com and other websites, where it sold
for about $140.
Calls placed to King’s offices in Beaverton, Ore., were not immediately returned Friday.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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