Dexcom G6, a glucose monitoring device advertised as an alternative to finger sticks, is supposed to sound an alarm when a user’s blood sugar gets too low or too high. However, user Michael Tuttle did not receive an alert when his blood sugar was dangerously low, and he died of hypoglycemia at age 48. His widow, Julie Tuttle, a resident of Atlanta, is pursuing a wrongful death suit. Half a million complaints about the device have been reported to the U.S. FDA.
“This product was encouraging people to rely on it not only for accurate readings but for alerts,” attorney Natalie Woodward said. She, along with Brian Cathey, is representing the Tuttle family in a wrongful death lawsuit. “It failed all of those things at a time when [Michael] needed it the most.”
However, suing a company that has received the FDA’s blessing to sell medical devices to the public is difficult. Once approved, companies are often immune from many forms of litigation, shielding them from liability even when something goes wrong.
But so far, Tuttle’s lawsuit is still happening. While Honorable Leigh Martin May threw out the claim seeking punitive damages, the federal judge in the Northern District of Georgia issued an order allowing the lawsuit to move forward, at least for now.
Read the full article at 11 Alive.