(Bloomberg) — A pump used to infuse drugs at a patient's bedside can be hacked through hospital networks, causing an over- or under-dose, U.S. regulators said.
Health-care providers should stop use of the pumps, which were manufactured by Hospira Inc. and called Symbiq, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement Friday. While Hospira has quit making the devices, they are still in use by hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities to administer drugs intravenously, according to the agency.
The FDA "strongly encourages health-care facilities to begin transitioning to alternative infusion systems as soon as possible," the agency said .
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Working with an independent researcher, the FDA found that Hospira's pumps could be accessed through a hospital's wireless networks. "This could allow an unauthorized user to control the device and change the dosage the pump delivers, which could lead to over- or under-infusion of critical patient therapies," the FDA said.
The agency isn't aware of any patients who have been injured or any pumps that have been accessed without authorization.
The vulnerability shows the risky side of an increasingly connected health-care system.
While technology can make care more accurate and efficient, security experts have raised concerns about how criminals might breach devices to steal information or harm patients.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are aware of the vulnerability, the FDA said.
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