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Canadian patient files class action Medtronic defibrillator lawsuit |
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Friday, 19 October 2007 |
A woman in Canada has filed a national class action lawsuit against Medtronic, the makers of the recalled Sprint Fidelis lead wire. Sherry Robinson’s Medtronic defibrillator lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly sold a defective product, which could place patients at risk of painful injuries from defibrillator wire problems.
The Sprint Fidelis leads were recalled by Medtronic on October 14 after they were linked to at least five deaths. According to the company, these Medtronic leads are more than twice as likely to break after surgery as other lead wires manufactured by the company. The Food and Drug Administration has received reports of at least 1,600 cases of malfunction or injury with the Sprint Fidelis leads—more that 1,000 of which occurred in the last year alone.
Robinson’s Medtronic defibrillator lawsuit alleges that she received 18 unnecessary, painful shocks from her Medtronic defibrillator after the Sprint Fidelis wires attached to her heart became fractured. As a result, she was forced to undergo immediate surgery to have the lead wires removed and replaced.
Because more than 250,000 patients have received defibrillators that use the Sprint Fidelis leads, financial experts have predicted that more than 1,000 Medtronic defibrillator lawsuits could be filed against the company over the defibrillator wire problems. Medtronic is already facing more than 1,000 defibrillator lawsuits over the 2005 recall of some defibrillator brands due to battery problems. |