On July 18, 2005 Guidant placed a voluntary recall on certain pacemakers after it received reports from about 69 pacemakers that may have leaked.
The models affected were manufactured between November 25, 1997 and October 26, 2000. A seal within the devices can leak which causes moisture to affect the electric circuits of the pacemakers. When the device fails it can cause faintness or loss of consciousness and can cause death. Leakage can also cause a side effect of a rapid heartbeat that can cause heart failure and death.
On May 24, 2005 the Guidant Corporation announced that it was voluntarily recalling 50,000 defibrillators, 29,000 of these defibrillators due to manufacturing flaws, which could cause them to short-circuit. A short-circuit in a defibrillator would cause the device to fail in its duty to “shock” a patient’s heart to restore its normal rhythmic pattern, which could cause the patient to go into cardiac arrest if they were unable to seek immediate alternate medical attention.
An upcoming article in the New York Times about the death of a 21-year-old college student due to the malfunction of his Guidant Defibrillator motivated this recall. Guidant has offered to replace those faulty defibrillators still implanted in patients as per doctor/ patient discretion. Similarly, in February 2005, Medtronic Inc. announced that 87,000 of its defibrillators have a battery malfunction, which causes the battery to drain at a faster rate then normal; posing a risk to .2-1.5% of those implanted which Medtronic defibrillators.
At the law offices of d'Oliveira & Associates, P.C., we are committed to providing our clients with outstanding legal representation and legal services. The services we offer our clients who have suffered from the Guidant recalls are no exception. When you become a client of d'Oliveira & Associates, P.C., you can be assured that our personal injury attorneys and dedicated support staff will be with you every step of the way. If we feel that our firm is not the most qualified to handle your particular case we will be happy to use our experience and know-how to help you find an injury lawyer that can provide you with the legal representation and dedication you deserve. Remember, we never charge you any fees or expenses, unless your case is successful.
Please contact the law offices of d'Oliveira & Associates at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out a contact form for a free legal consultation.