Boston Scientific Withdraws Guidant Defibrillators
On June 26, 2006, Boston Scientific, the parent organization of Guidant’s manufacturer announced its plan to withdraw six other models of defibrillators because of some electrical problems. This news followed the recall of Guidant defibrillators and pacemakers associated to the similar problem in June 2005.
Guidant Patients at Significant Health Risks
Boston Scientific announced that the Guidant medical devices and pacemakers could affect the 27,000 patients who used them. These patients could be affected by the electrical problems, which are associated with the defective low voltage capacitors. These capacitors hold electrical charges for the devices or medical products designed to regulate the heart rate and rhythm in the patients suffering from heart disease, heart failure and other conditions related to heart.
The recall followed with a “Dear Doctor Letter” issued on June 23, 2006, entitled “Urgent Medical Device Safety Information and Corrective Action.” This letter warned the health care professionals that certain lots of Guidant medical devices could under perform or malfunction causing complete loss of functionality and battery depletion.
Recalled products
The medical products or devices recall by the FDA area subset of Guidant defibrillators including the following:
Contact Renewal TR2/ TR cardiac resynchronization pacemakers
Vitality implantable defibrillators
Nexus pacemakers
Vitality 2 implantable defibrillators
Ventak Prizm 2 implantable defibrillators
Insignia pacemakers
Fall out for Boston Scientific and Guidant Defibrillators
The Guidant’s latest recall caused a major blow to Boston Scientific, which has endured the most of the acquisition of Guidant in April 2006. Due to this recall, the stock of Boston Scientific fell to $1.20.
Legal Advice
Although, the Guidant’s “Dear Doctor Letter” does not suggest that the patients who are affected with Guidant defibrillators and pacemakers have to undergo surgery to remove the defective devices, however, according to a Guidant spokesperson, patients with affected medical devices should immediately consult their doctors to seek proper medical care.
If you or someone you know has suffered from the severe side effects of damaged or defective Guidant defibrillators and Guidant pacemakers, immediately seek the advice of an experienced medical device attorney. He will help you in assessing your claim and help you in filing a lawsuit against the company so that you get some monetary compensation for your future medical care, medical bills, pain and sufferings, lost wages and other damages.