/ Medical Device

If you have been injured by a malfunctioning heart device, the Law Offices of Smith/Coonrod may be able to help you pursue your claim. Thousands of patients have been injured over the years by malfunctioning medical devices including heart pacemakers and defibrillators. Sometimes a device-related injury, even death, can occur during an implant procedure while in other instances an injury can go undiscovered for years. Recently the Guidant Corporation and Medtronic Corporation, Inc announced recalls of some models of their implantable cardiac devices (ICDs) including defibrillators and pacemakers. These devices may malfunction without notice and cause injury or even death.

Guidant in June 2005 voluntarily recalled almost 50,000 of the devices because certain models contained a flaw that caused some units to short-circuit and malfunction, resulting in at least two reported deaths and potentially many more.

In May 2005, Medtronic said it had recalled 13,000 of its defibrillators. The problem was an apparent defect that caused the devices’ batteries to drain suddenly, leaving them without power to shock a heart back into a normal rhythm.

There are many models of both Guidant and Medtronic ICDs that are subject to these recalls. If you have one of these devices you should contact your doctor to see if your ICD has been recalled. You may also check on-line information centers set up by Guidant and Medtronic. If you have one of these devices or you or a loved one has sustained an injury as the result of one of these devices you may wish to contact The Law Offices of Smith/Coonrod for a free consultation.