MHRA alert - Anaesthetic machines: off-label use during the COVID-19 pandemic
Wednesday 8 April 2020
All anaesthesia machines with ventilators - using the anaesthesia device in treatment of critical illness, outside its intended use is considered off-label use but may be essential due to ventilator availability.
The use of an anaesthesia machine as a (long-term) ventilator in a health care setting when it has only received regulatory clearance as an anaesthetic machine is considered as off-label use.
It is the responsibility of the clinicians/end user to make the decision to use a device off label, but the MHRA recognises it is essential in these times.