News for 2009

Patients, doctors face tough choice about removing faulty heart devices

Doctors and their patients with recalled Medtronic defibrillators implanted in their chests may soon be faced with making difficult decisions about whether to undergo life-threatening surgery to remove the faulty heart devices to prevent possibly fatal events, according to the New York Times.

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Victim of defective defibrillator lobbies for Medical Device Safety Act

medtronic pacemaker 150x150Ron Albrecht lives in fear – fear that one day he will learn that the defibrillator implanted in his chest is defective and will cause him excruciating pain when it fails, like his previous one did two years ago. That device turned out to be among the defective heart defibrillators that were recalled by the device’s manufacturer, Medtronic. Albrecht’s device had to be replaced, and while his new one appears to be operating fine, he still worries.

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Patients converge on Capital Hill for right to sue Medtronic

medtronic logo 150x91People with Medtronic cardiac defibrillators implanted in their chests converged on Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for the passage of the Medical Device Safety Act. The act will allow consumers who have been hurt by defective medical devices to sue the device’s maker even if the devices have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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Higher number of fatalities connected with Medtronic heart device

Medtronic Inc. has issued a letter to doctors stating that a defective lead wire in its popular heart defibrillator, which was recalled in October 2007, may have contributed to the deaths of 13 individuals in which the heart devices were implanted, according to the Star Tribune. That death toll is up from the medical device company’s original estimate two years ago of five deaths.

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Study shows heart leads may fail as they age

heart lead graphic 150x150Congressional dems seek reversal of Supreme Court Decision

A new study published Monday in the Heart Rhythm medical journal suggests that the more than 200,000 recipients of  Medtronic heart defibrillator leads may be at a greater risk than previously thought.

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Judge tosses medtronic lawsuits, doesn’t disclose son’s ties

medtronic logo 150x91U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle dismissed thousands of lawsuits against Medtronic Inc., manufacturer of the faulty Sprint Fidelis defibrillators that have allegedly injured and killed several people. Attorneys serving the patients, however, may seek to have the judge disqualified from the case because he never disclosed that his son works for the law firm representing .

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FDA says approval of medical devices was rushed

medtronic pacemaker 150x150A group of FDA scientists recently sent a six-page letter to Barack Obama’s transition team venting consternation over their agency’s corruption and mismanagement. It’s not the first time FDA scientists have sought the help of Washington, pleading for a shakeup, but the number of complaints and the overall tone of the latest letter indicate agency insiders are eager to grab some of the new President’s much promised change.

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