Defibrillator Recall Attorney, Guidant Defibrillator Lawyer

Pulaski & Middleman, LLC, filed one of the first lawsuits in the United States against Guidant Corp. related to the recall. At this time, Pulaski & Middleman, LLC represents over 1,000 clients with recalled heart defibrillators.

Guidant Defibrillators

Guidant acknowledged in a letter to heart physicians that a small percentage of its defibrillators made before 2003 contain a flaw that can short-circuit the device and disable it. The revelation came two months after a 21-year-old college student from Minnesota died when he suffered cardiac arrest, and his defibrillator failed to work because of a short-circuit. The Indianapolis-based medical devices maker said there have been 26 reports of the defibrillator failing, including one recent death. Guidant said about 24,000 of the Ventak Prizm 2 devices are currently implanted worldwide and that the problem is with defibrillators manufactured before November 2002. Guidant suggests that any patient with a Guidant defibrillator should consult with their physician if they have questions, particularly if they have recently received a defibrillation shock.

Guidant Pacemakers

On July 19, 2005, Guidant Corporation recalled several models of their pacemakers due to a potentially fatal flaw in nine of their popular lines of these devices. Guidant states that there have been 69 devices from these groups that have experienced some sort of failure. 78,000 Guidant pacemakers manufactured between 1997 and 2000 are suspected to have this defect with 18,000 still in use in the United States.

Potentially defective pacemaker lines include: PULSAR, PULSAR MAX, DISCOVERY, MERIDIAN, PULSAR MAX II, DISCOVERY II, VIRTUS PLUS II, INTELIS II and CONTAK TR.

If you feel an electrical shock from a device, or if there is an audible beeping coming from the device, it may mean the defibrillator is damaged.

FDA advises patients to take the following steps:

• If you have not already been notified, contact your doctor to determine if you have an affected PRIZM 2, CONTAK RENEWAL, or CONTAK RENEWAL 2 device.
• Continue to keep your regular doctor appointments.
• If you feel an electrical shock from your device, immediately contact your doctor.
• If there is an audible "beeping" from your CONTAKRENEWAL or RENEWAL 2 device, immediately contact your doctor or go to the nearest emergency room. Beeping may mean that your defibrillator is damaged.

Each state has a law which limits the amount of time an injured person has to file a lawsuit after the injury. The amount of time can vary greatly for many reasons.

If you have one of the recalled Guidant defibrillators, contact your doctor immediately to discuss your medical options. FDA is not making a recommendation on whether individual patients who have one of the Guidant devices should have it removed and replaced. This is a decision that should be made by a patient in consultation with his or her physician, based on the specific medical situation of the patient. Removal and replacement of the device may pose some risk, so it is important that patients and physicians carefully discuss this matter before making a decision.

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