Kansas Guidant Recall Lawyer

Kansas Guidant Recall Timeline

Guidant medical reports show 45 defibrillator malfunctions, resulting in at least two deaths since May 30, 2005. More than 38,000 patients throughout the United States rely on the Guidant debibrillators. The first signs of the Guidant malfunction began in 2002, when officials detected a potential problem with the wiring of the VENTAK PRIZM 2 DR (model 1861), and short circuiting. Guidant stated that this flaw would be corrected in future models, so they only began to notify doctors of this potential malfunction in May 2005. Two months later, the FDA issued a voluntary recall.

If you or a loved one has a heart device and has visited a physician due to this recall, contact a Guidant lawyer evaluate your potential claim. The recalled heart devices are prone to failure, resulting in a rapid heart rate. Other unexpected device behaviors are also possible. The problems may occur without warning. Both Medtronic and Guidant, manufacturers of heart devices, voluntarily recalled the following models:

Guidant Recall Models

Only the following Guidant models are affected by the FDA recall. All were manufactured between November 25, 1997 and October 26, 2000:

PULSAR® MAX Models 1170, 1171, 1270
PULSAR Models 0470, 0870, 0970, 0972, 1172, 1272
DISCOVERY® Models 1174, 1175, 1273, 1274, 1275
MERIDIAN® Models 0476, 0976, 1176, 1276
PULSAR MAX II Models 1180, 1181, 1280
DISCOVERY II Models 0481, 0981, 1184, 1186, 1187, 1283, 1284, 1285, 1286
CONTAK TR® Model 1241
VIRTUS PLUS® II* Models 1380, 1480
INTELIS II Models 1483, 1484, 1485, 1384, 1385, 1349, 1499
VIRTUS PLUS II and INTELIS II models available only outside the U.S.

Medtronic Recall Models

In addition to Guidant, the heart device company known as Medtronic has also issued a recall in February of 2005 for specific models implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) manufactured between April 2001 and December 2003. Devices manufactured during this time period include the following models:

Model 7230 Marquis™ VR
Model 7274 Marquis™ DR
Model 7232 Maximo™ VR
Model 7278 Maximo™ DR
Model 7277 InSync Marquis™
Model 7289 InSync II Marquis™
Model 7279 InSync III Marquis™
Model 7285 InSync III Protect™
LIFEPAK 500 AEDs manufactured in 1997
8870 SOFTWARE APPLICATION CARD
VERSION AAA 02

This potential issue does not affect individuals with other models of Medtronic devices or these devices with batteries manufactured after December 2003. If your device is not included in this list, your device is not affected by this situation. If you have one of these recalled heart devices, you may have been notified by Medtronic and receive regular maintenance with your health care provider. In addition to protecting your health, protect your legal rights by contacting a Guidant lawyer.