Recently, there have been numerous reports of injuries and deaths caused by defective heart implant devices, including defibrillators and pacemakers. The nation's largest heart implant device manufacturer is Medtronic. In October of 2007, Medtronic disclosed a defect in its Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads. Around that same time, the New York Times reported that the defect in the Sprint Fidelis defibrillation lead had resulted in numerous malfunctions and may have contributed to the death of five patients who had received Medtronic defibrillators.

The affected model numbers of the Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads are model numbers 6930, 6931, 6948 and 6949. Since 2004, approximately 268,000 patients in the United States have received Medtronic defibrillators which contained the Sprint Fidelis lead. If you have received a Medtronic defibrillator since 2004, you should consider having your doctor check for fractures in the lead. A fracture in the lead could cause the device to misread heart rhythms. This, in turn, could cause the device to send unnecessary and painful shocks to the patient or worse, fail to provide a needed life-saving shock. When Medtronic disclosed the defect in the Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads, it estimated that anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 patients who have received defibrillators containing the defective Sprint Fidelis lead could experience a fracture in the lead within 30 months of receiving the device.

Medtronic has encouraged doctors to stop the use of Sprint Fidelis leads in patients using Medtronic's defibrillators. While Medtronic has agreed to pay for replacements for fractured leads and pay up to $800 toward medical expenses, Medtronic has not yet agreed to pay the medical expenses associated with patients wanting to replace existing leads which are properly functioning to prevent fractures of the leads in the future.

Suthers & Thompson is investigating cases involving injuries or death from Medtronic Sprint Fidelis leads. For more information, contact us online or call us on our toll free number, 1-800-320-2384, to set up a FREE consultation.