Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Medtronic Inc. has had to go back to an old-reliable in the wake of last month’s Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Lead recall. In order to continue to meet the demand for defibrillator lead wires, Medtronic has begun supplying health care providers with the Sprint Fidelis‘ predecessor, the Sprint Quattro. The Sprint Quattro Defibrillator Lead is a thicker wire than the recalled Sprint Fidelis, and for some time before the recall, it was becoming apparent that the older Sprint Quattro model was safer than new Medtronic lead.

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Medtronic issued the recall of leads in October, amid mounting evidence that a small percentage of the leads were fracturing. Those fractures caused some patients to receive unneccessary shocks from their defibrillators, while other patients did not receive a lifesaving shock when they had a slow heart rhythm. The lead failures may have contributed to five deaths.

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Shares of medical device maker St. Jude Medical could face pressure Monday on a media report that raised safety concerns over some of its defibrillator wires.

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More lawsuits have been filed against Medtronic related to its defective Sprint Fidelis leads. Two Kansas residents have filed class action lawsuits alleging that Medtronic was negligent in the design of its Sprint Fidelis Leads. Both lawsuits also allege that Medtronic failed to warn patients about the possible defects in a timely manner.

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Two area residents have filed federal class-action lawsuits over malfunctions they said could occur in Medtronic Inc. heart defibrillators implanted in more than a quarter-million patients.

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When it comes to her health, Laurel Lewis is positively fearless.

The 54-year-old Minneapolis woman has stared down a rare breed of late-stage cancer. And last year, she technically died after her heart stopped beating, but luckily her near-fatal attack occurred just outside Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina.

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