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Margaret Fleming, Monica Sager, Nicole Tan, Susanti Sarkar, Evan Robinson-Johnson and Claire Gardner, Medill Investigative Lab
Philips Respironics received thousands of complaints about a dangerous defect in its breathing machines but kept them secret for years as stock prices soared. The devices, including the popular DreamStation for sleep apnea, went to children, the elderly and veterans before the global giant announced a massive recall.
They thought they were getting clean air from the lifelines at their bedsides, coveted nights of healthy sleep that for too long did not come easy.
Near Portland, Oregon, Kim Binford’s sleep apnea machine helped him manage chronic pain. Outside Indianapolis, Connie Thompson was able to stay awake in class during her senior year of high school. In the suburbs of Atlanta, Debra Miller could put her grandchildren in the car and drive without fear.
But in June 2021, Binford, Thompson, Miller and millions of others learned that a defect in the breathing machines they relied on for years had the potential to inflict serious harm, including cancer, kidney and lung problems, and severe respiratory infections.
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