Defibrillators have become more and more commonplace, as reductions in size and cost (as well as greater ease of use) have allowed more of the potentially life-saving devices to be deployed in public places. Defibrillators are used to shock patients who are in the throes of a heart attack.
But like all products, sometimes manufacturing or design errors cause problems. According to the Food and Drug Administration, Medtronic has recalled about 43,000 of its defibrillators due to a potential battery problem, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
In fact, the FDA designated the Medtronic recall of the company's Lifepak 20 and Lifepak 20e devices with a "Class 1" status, its most serious recall level. Still, the company has opted to keep the affected defibrillators in the field as it works to fix the potential battery problem.
But if you or a family member suffers a cardiac arrest and discovers that the nearest defibrillator is not working, and the non-operation results in a serious injury, it may be wise to consult with an Illinois injury attorney.
A press release issued by Medtronic's Physio-Control subsidiary, which manufactures the devices, notified its customers by certified mail that it plans to update their power supplies as soon as possible. The release also attempted to reassure customers about the safety of its products:
"While there have been reports of failures during patient use, over the eight-year product life, there has been one unconfirmed adverse patient event."
Physio-Control president Brian Webster said that an Australian heart attack victim died four years ago as a result of a malfunctioning Lifepak 20 defibrillator, but he said the company was unable to recover the device or determine the cause.
Related Resources:
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Drugs and Medical Device Recalls (FindLaw)
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FDA: Medtronic Pacemakers Recalled Over Failure Risk (FindLaw's Injured Blog)
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Search Chicago Injury Lawyers (FindLaw)
