The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced a recall of some defective Medtronic Inc. pacemakers. In fact, the recall has been classified as a Class I recall. This type of recall is the most serious in that it determines the defective product being recalled as able to cause severe injury and possibly even death. This is a serious concern for those who depend on these types of pacemakers for their hearts to continue functioning properly. If the pacemaker malfunctions and can no longer help their heart beat successfully, these patients could sustain serious injury and/or die.

The defect in these pacemakers is attributed to a possible separation of wires that connect the battery to the circuit. If the wire connection between the two separates, battery power will be lost and the pacemaker will cease to work. This is not the first time that Medtronic Inc. has been the producer of defective products that required recall. In fact, it was only two years ago that the company was forced to recall another product used as part of cardiovascular implants. The Sprint Fidelis, an electrical wire that attaches a defibrillator to the heart of the patient, was recalled in 2007 because it broke easily and could cause an entire cardiovascular implant to stop working. Hundreds of thousands of patients had been equipped with the Sprint Fidelis, at least thirteen of which died from the malfunctioning wire. Several of these victims actually died during the surgery to have these defective wires removed and replaced with functional wires.

There are several types of Medtronic Inc. pacemakers that have been included in the recall, and if you’re unsure of whether or not yours is one of them, you should consult your cardiologist immediately. Defective products such as those that have been produced by Medtronic in the past few years should not be implanted into cardiovascular patients. It is obvious from these last two recalls that Medtronic Inc. is not taking enough precautions to ensure that their products are safe for short term and long term use in cardiovascular patients. Cardiovascular surgery is risky enough as it is and only becomes more hazardous to perform when defective products need to be removed and replaced with reliable parts.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a defective product that has been recalled, you should seek out a Los Angeles personal injury attorney to discuss your rights. You have the right, as a medical patient, to be implanted with cardiovascular equipment that is going to help your heart works at its most productive level, rather than hinder or halt that progress. Don’t allow companies like Medtronic to continue producing defective products in Los Angeles that are detrimental to your health and the health of millions of other people across the country. Get a personal injury attorney that will help you fight for your right to reliable healthcare and reliable healthcare products, especially those on which you depend in order to live and thrive.