Guidant Defibrillators Recall

Guidant, a company that makes defibrillators, pacemakers and other heart devices, failed to tell patients about the problems with its implanted defibrillators. The problems began coming to light when two people died in 2005. One patient died when his defibrillator short-circuited during a bike ride. According to Guidant in 2005, at least 45 of the defibrillators were known to have failed.

The FDA announced the Guidant defibrillator recall in 2005 after the deaths. Guidant announced that as many as 50,000 of the defibrillators could be flawed, and said they would replace more than 28,000 of them. The others could be fixed by external reprogramming, according to Guidant.

Defibrillators are supposed to sense irregular heart rhythms and shock the heart into beating regularly. People who receive defibrillators are heart attack victims and people who have unnatural heartbeats, or people who are at risk for either of these.

If you are using a Guidant defibrillator, you should contact your doctor immediately. The best type of doctor to contact is an electrophysiologist, or a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm abnormalities. It is costly and difficult to replace defibrillators; defibrillators are surgically implanted inside the chest to monitor cardiac function and cost more than $25,000 for the unit alone. It is also important to contact a medical malpractice attorney in order to file a personal injury claim.

To determine if you have a Guidant defibrillator, visit Guidant’s Web site at: www.guidant.com/lookup. The devices causing concern include the PRIZM 2, CONTAK RENEWAL, and CONTAK RENEWAL 2. Signs of defectiveness include receiving an electrical shock from the defibrillator or an audible beeping noise. If you notice either of these signs, go to an emergency room immediately.

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Guidant Defibrillators Recall Guidant, a company that makes defibrillators, pacemakers and other heart devices, failed to tell patients about the problems with its implanted defibrillators. The problems began coming to light when two people died in 2005. One patient died when his defibrillator short-circuited during a bike ride. According to Guidant in 2005, at least 45 of the defibrillators were known to have failed. The FDA announced the Guidant defibrillator recall in 2005 after the deaths. Guidant announced that as many as 50,000 of the defibrillators could be flawed, and said they would replace more than 28,000 of them. The others could be fixed by external reprogramming, according to Guidant. Defibrillators are supposed to sense irregular heart rhythms and shock the heart into beating regularly. People who receive defibrillators are heart attack victims and people who have unnatural heartbeats, or people who are at risk for either of these. If you are using a Guidant defibrillator, you should contact your doctor immediately. The best type of doctor to contact is an electrophysiologist, or a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm abnormalities. It is costly and difficult to replace defibrillators; defibrillators are surgically implanted inside the chest to monitor cardiac function and cost more than $25,000 for the unit alone. It is also important to contact a medical malpractice attorney in order to file a personal injury claim. To determine if you have a Guidant defibrillator, visit Guidant’s Web site at: www.guidant.com/lookup. The devices causing concern include the PRIZM 2, CONTAK RENEWAL, and CONTAK RENEWAL 2. Signs of defectiveness include receiving an electrical shock from the defibrillator or an audible beeping noise. If you notice either of these signs, go to an emergency room immediately.