Used medical devices being sold on eBay

Used medical devices are being sold through eBay and makers of some single-use devices warn they cannot vouch for their safety if they are reconditioned.

The Washington Post reports in one case, a used tube designed to be inserted into a patient's jugular vein was offered on the online auction site. Neither the seller nor the buyer, if there was one, could be identified.

Those who sell such devices say there is no credible evidence their recondition devices are riskier than new devices, and they say they can save hospitals about half the cost of a new device, the Post reported.

It said it was not possible to find out if hospitals were buying medical devices on eBay.

EBay Inc. told the newspaper it is not its role to oversee the buying and selling of such devices on its service. "We don't take responsibility for items sold on the site," said a company spokesman, "We're a marketplace."

The company requires sellers of regulated medical devices to include a disclaimer that buyers should not bid unless they are an authorized purchaser, the report said.

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