Recalled Medtronic Defibrillators Leads Still Shocking People
June 11th, 2008 amy
The Medtronic defibrillator defective Sprint Fidelis leads are still malfunctioning, as illustrated by a moving story done by ABC News of a six-year-old girl who watched in horror as her mommy’s defibrillator shocked her heart a total of 31 times in the span of a few minutes.
Medtronic, the company that makes the device used by Robb, told ABC News they sent certified letters to all the patients and their doctors. But Robb said she did not know her defibrillator had been recalled until she arrived at the hospital’s emergency room, ABC News reports.
Lawmakers are about to hear from Robb, who will speak of her excruciating pain and her frustration at the legal system. Along with another victim, she will ask Congress to change the ruling prohibiting legal action. Congress could change the medical device amendment and override the Supreme Court’s recent decision, allowing victims to receive compensation, ABC News reports. The hearing will be about consumers and their legal rights, according to Robb, but she is hoping her horrific case will help spur change.
“I don’t think that there are words to sum up what I went through,” said Robb. “I want to make sure that this does not happen to anybody else.”
In October of 2007, Medtronic recalled its defective Sprint Fidelis lead, a wire that connects the implantable defibrillator to the heart, because the lead was prone to fracture inside a patient’s blood vessel and delivering a massive electrical shock capable of killing a patient. At that time, five deaths and multiple injuries had been attributed to these recalled Medtronic defibrillator leads.
