Joey M.D.

Throughout the last century, there are many advances to health care which significantly increased the lifespan and quality of life of patients.  These advances included antibiotics and other drugs, vaccines, diagnostic modalities like the CT scan, MRI and ultrasound, as well as implants and medical devices to replace the function of a body part that’s no longer functioning as it should.

For example, the defibrillator is a life saving device that could spell the difference between life and death.  While I believe that sometimes movies and TV does exaggerate a bit, this does save lives in cases of arrhythmia leading to a cardiac arrest.  The more familiar device is the one oftentimes seen in emergency rooms and yes, in TV shows and movies as the machine with 2 paddles which are applied to the patient’s chest to deliver an electrical current, hopefully to reverse ventricular fibrillation.

For patients who are at risk for sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation, there are also internal implantable devices, known as the ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator).  These devices are programmed to detect cardiac arrhythmia and deliver a jolt of electricity to correct it.

The main concern of both doctors and patients is if the device will will as well as possible.  Unlike most implants, Defective Defibrillator Leads could literally spell the difference between life and death.   Medtronic Defibrillator Recall was done by the manufacturer, particularly the Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads, since these have been linked to five patient deaths.  They conceded that the defibrillators may cause fractures and may have been a contributing factor in the deaths.

It’s important for both the doctors and the patient to know of such product recalls, so that the next step in the management of the patient’s condition could be planned accordingly.