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Defibrillators are medical devices meant to prevent sudden heart failure by providing an electric stimulation to the heart through lead wires. Several years ago Medtronic recalled its Sprint Fidelis leads because of their potential to fracture and send an unneeded shock through the patient’s heart or fail to send a shock when the device should.
Defibrillator Malfunctions
Fully functioning defibrillators are implanted in patients to monitor heart rhythms and provide a shock when necessary to prevent irregular heartbeats (cardiac arrhythmia) from being fatal. However, defective defibrillators can crack or break and result in:
- A massive, painful shock to the patient
- Failure to deliver necessary shocks
- False signals that deliver unnecessary shocks to the heart
All of these side effects of the fractured leads can result in death.
Deaths Caused by Defibrillators
The Medtronic Spring Fidelis defibrillators with defective leads caused at least 25 deaths, and about 150,000 Americans already had the defective defibrillators in their bodies when the devices were recalled. Removing the defective devices can be almost as dangerous as leaving them in. Four patients died when doctors attempted to remove them.
Four different models of Sprint Fidelis were recalled:
- 6930
- 6931
- 6948
- 6949
Do you or your loved one have Medtronic defibrillators in place or have you been injured by other defective medical products?
At Buckley & Associates in Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington, our product liability attorneys are committed to helping victims of defective medical products. We have helped many clients seek the justice they deserve from medical device manufacturers and the compensation they need for recovery.
Call us today at 206-558-8441 to contact Buckley & Associates for your free consultation with an experienced member of our multi-lingual staff. Our defective product lawyers welcome clients throughout the Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver areas and the state of Washington.